Blue Guitar
by HoneyBee31
Summary: AU InuKag When Kikyou Higurashi passed away, she left her estranged sister Kagome a beautiful uptown apartment and an ugly, broken blue guitar. "Things as they are are changed upon the blue guitar"
1. Prologue

This idea has been swirling in my mind for awhile now and I've only just started to write it out, so bear with me. The second part to Code Yellow should be out soon, but I wanted to put this one up while I was feeling like it. Read it and let me know what you think. It will be Inu/Kag eventually...

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or The Man with the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens

* * *

_The man bent over his guitar,  
A shearsman of sorts. The day was green. _

_They said, "You have a blue guitar,  
You do not play things as they are." _

_The man replied, "Things as they are  
Are changed upon the blue guitar." _

_And they said then, "But play, you must,  
A tune beyond us, yet ourselves, _

_A tune upon the blue guitar  
Of things exactly as they are."_

* * *

_How did things end up like this?_ Kagome couldn't remember. Fisting the fabric of her skirt in her hands, she walked down the silent hospital hallway, her shoes squeaking loudly in the sterile silence. Having the presence of mind to count the room numbers, when Kagome reached 207, she took a sharp breath before pushing open the door.

"Kikyou..." She peered through the dimmed lighting at her wilted sister. While Kikyou had always been pale, her complexion had lost its refined beauty and settled to the sickly pallor of illness. Her beautiful pin-straight hair had been tied into a simple braid for ease of care and she was practically drowning in her hospital gown. It was painful to see her like this.

Kikyou blinked out of the half-sleep she had been in. "Kagome..." her voice held traces of its old regality but was rough from sickness. She began shifting into a seated position and Kagome rushed to help her up.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Kagome urgently fussed over her. The nurses had told her the prognosis. Terminal. She might not last the night.

"Kagome..." Kikyou's eyes drifted shut and swallowing took visible effort "I need you to do something for me..."

Kikyou reached towards her with her left hand. Kagome took it quickly, not entirely sure what was going on. Her and Kikyou had never been the best of siblings. What was Kagome, who at this point was practically a stranger, supposed to do for her ailing sister?

"What is it?" Kagome clutched Kikyou's cold hand, trying to lend her some warmth, some life. The calluses were all still there, Kikyou had clearly still been playing. Kagome cast a quick glance around to see which one of her beauties Kikyou had decided to bring. Ah, the one with the Brazillian Rosewood neck, perfect to lighten the air in this place.

"My...guitar..." The words were difficult to understand and looked even more difficult for Kikyou to say. Kagome moved to pick up the instrument, but Kikyou's grip held firm.

"No. In my apartment...a guitar...different..." She smiled weakly as if at a private joke. Kagome gave her a large, encouraging grin in return, even though all she wanted to do was curl up and cry.

"A different guitar?" Kagome stroked a stray hair away from Kikyou's face "Honey, I don't have time to go there and get it and bring it back to you..." Kikyou knew she was going to die, there was no point in Kagome side-stepping the point.

Kikyou's face held urgency and she clutched Kagome's suddenly "You must get the blue guitar fixed," She gasped "Please Kagome... please..."

Eager to calm her overexcited sister, for even though she wasn't a nurse she knew all those beeping sounds from the machines wasn't a good sign, Kagome could do nothing but eagerly agree. "Okay, okay Kikyou I'll get the blue guitar fixed."

Kikyou met her gaze forcefully "Please...get it fixed...I will always regret..." her smile turned wistful, giving her face an uncharacteristic sweetness "I would have liked to see him...one last time..."

Kagome's mind raced, trying to think of a beau that should be with her at the hospital. It was a testament to Kikyou's social skills that the only one with her on her deathbed was her estranged sister that had to fly in from across the ocean. Their parents and kid brother had died in a car accident while Kagome was away at university and Kikyou was on tour. Both girls had mourned in their own way, Kagome picking up her bags and taking flight, and Kikyou throwing herself into her music career.

Why had they stopped talking? Kagome couldn't remember. Sitting in this hospital room, she couldn't think of anything that would have been bad enough. She wished they had more time.

Kikyou was thinking along the same lines "I'm...glad you came, Kagome."

Tears blurred Kagome's vision as she wobbled a smile at her older sister, not sure what to say "I..."

Kikyou lightly squeezed Kagome's hand as her eyes slid shut.

The monitor started screaming, nurses rushed in and pushed Kagome from the bed. She stood in shock, watching as they pumped her sister's chest. Watching them try to re-inflate her lungs.

Watching as the line on the heart monitor went flat and stayed there.


	2. The Buzzing of the Blue Guitar

Here is the proper chapter one. Not much else to say, so read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or The Man with the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens.

* * *

_So that's life, then: things are they are?  
It picks its way on the blue guitar._

_A million people on one string?  
And all their manner in the thing,_

_And all their manner, right and wrong,  
And all their manner, weak and strong?_

_And that's life, then: things as they are,  
This buzzing of the blue guitar._

* * *

How on earth Kagome made it back to her hotel was beyond her. After Kikyou's death, her memories of the night were only snatches. More nurses. A cup of coffee. Didn't she sign something? A silent cab ride back. Lots of city lights.

Now she was curled up on her small bed in the noisy motel, deaf to the sounds around her. Kikyou was dead. What was Kagome supposed to do now? Kikyou always took care of things, she was the responsible one. Everyone knew it. If you needed a laugh, you asked Kagome, if you need something done, you asked Kikyou. And now there was only Kagome.

Kagome rolled on her back, staring at the shadows on the wall. At least Kikyou hadn't died alone. Though Kagome had thought it was sad that she was the only one there for her sister, in truth she would have no one to be there for her. She moved far too often to keep lasting relationships and usually had little interest in making any. Would she die alone?

Kagome mind was a-whir with memories of Kikyou, memories of their family. She didn't notice the passing of minutes and hours until sunrise. Hell, she wouldn't have noticed it was day if it weren't for a loud knock on her motel room door.

Pushing herself off the bed and wiping the tears that had leaked out at some point off her face, Kagome staggered over to the door. Swinging it open, she was greeted by a friendly female face.

"Kagome Higurashi?" The woman's voice was pleasant but her power business suit told Kagome she wasn't just here for a chat. Kagome's throat felt too thick to answer, so she could only nod in the positive. "I'm Sango Adachi. I'm the attorney overseeing Kikyou's will. The hospital told me I could find you here."

Sango eyed her rumpled state and gave her a soft smile "I'd like for you to come into my office, but I'm guessing you want to get cleaned up a bit first?"

Kagome forced her mind to pay attention. Kikyou's will. That needed dealing with. She could do that. "Right." Kagome felt a bit more like herself "Well, why don't you just come in and..um..I'll just take a second."

Leaving the door ajar for Sango to enter the room, Kagome scooped up her traveler's pack and trooped over to the bathroom. She had taken everything she cared about when she left overseas. She had been feeling restless anyways, so when she received the letter from Kikyou, Kagome figured she'd might as well pack up and move on.

Getting the letter had been a strange day. Kagome let herself think on it as she went through the automatic motions of getting ready. Kikyou and Kagome rarely spoke, and yet here one day a personally written letter finds her. And it had been 3 addresses ago that Kagome had spoken with her sister, so Kikyou must have done some groundwork to have known where she lived.

The letter had explained her illness and how Kagome would be executor of her will. It had few details, except a request that was as pleading as Kikyou would ever get for Kagome to quickly return home. A doctor's note was included, likely without Kikyou's knowledge, also requesting that Kagome come to see her sister. The doctor said her sister had been distraught about one of her guitars. The only time she was calm was when she was playing. They had even brought the children around to listen to her. Kagome smiled to herself, Kikyou was always very fond of children. Not in the have-some-of-my-own way, but in the they-amuse-me-but-you-can-keep-them way.

Realising she'd been brushing her hair for much longer than usual, Kagome packed up the rest of her toiletries in her pack and slung it on her back. Returning to the main room, she spied Sango sitting gingerly on one of the bed. The lawyer smiled shyly in greeting. Kagome thought it was funny that such an obviously powerful and confident woman could be so shy, so she took command of the situation.

"I finally feel human again." Kagome struck a pose "Alright, let's get to this." Pulling a surprised Sango off the bed, Kagome pushed her towards the door. "Aren't you supposed to be taking me somewhere?"

Sango recovered "Er...yes, my office." She cleared the throat and her confident voice returned "We'll read the will today. You're the only person mentioned in the will, so I only needed you." She steered Kagome to a sleek car sitting in the motel parking lot.

"Would you mind if I put my pack in your trunk?" Kagome smiled sheepishly at Sango who readily nodded her assent.

* * *

"Are you in from out of town?" Sango asked, one eye on Kagome and one eye on the road as the sped along the city streets.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Kagome shrugged "I was only staying one night at that place though, after Kikyou's will I guess I'll have to figure something else out."

"You're a wanderer?" Sango sounded surprised. Kagome guessed that she, like other business suits, assumed the wanderer was a thing of the past. Not everyone wanted safety and stability.

"Yeah, what of it?" Kagome slumped in her seat, returning to the persona she put on when she was travelling. Just because it was more common didn't mean it was any easier to be a woman out in the wilds of the world. She had to at least act tough sometimes.

"You were just so well spoken." Sango's brow dented as something troubled her in the rear-view mirror "Most of the wanders I met during my backpacking days were grubby and couldn't string two words together" Apparently just becoming aware that she was shooting her mouth off, Sango blushed "No offence."

Kagome waved away the apology "Nothing to worry about." She laughed, albeit it was somewhat bitter "Who would have guessed that Kikyou Higurashi, the first lady of classical guitar, had a gypsy for a sister? We were raised by the same mother. I just didn't learn the lessons as well as Kikyou."

Sensing Sango felt uncomfortable, Kagome shouldered those skeletons back into the closet and grinned at Sango "So Sango, you said you were a backpacker?"

* * *

Sango's office was everything a city lawyer's office ought to be. Modernly furnished with lots of windows, Kagome eagerly sank into one of the leather office chairs that was, unsurprisingly, not as comfortable as it looked.

Sango riffled through her papers for a moment, humming to herself. Kagome busied herself looking for any sign of personal articles in Sango's office. Holding "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet" as her personal motto, Kagome had chatted quite a bit with the reserved lawyer in the car. Sango hadn't mentioned anything about family or a boyfriend the entire ride. Kagome was stumped.

On top of one of the bookcases Kagome spied a picture of a younger Sango with a young boy. "Is that your brother?"

Sango smacked her hand on the filing cabinet she had opened when she turned to see what Kagome was staring at. Rubbing her sore hand, she smiled sadly. "Yeah, my younger brother Kohaku." Turning back to the filing cabinet Sango softly admitted "He was killed a few years ago."

Kagome winced in sympathy. She knew how hard still was when anyone mentioned Souta. "I'm sorry Sango. I lost my brother too. Car accident." The two women shared an understanding look, the one that passes between two people that have both survived something awful and wish with all their hearts it had never happened.

Producing what looked like 3 pieces of paper and a tiny envelope, Sango returned to her desk. At Kagome's surprised look, Sango couldn't restrain her grin of amusement "I told you it was short."

"Yeah but I wouldn't have guessed that short." Kagome snorted, "I should have guessed. Kikyou, concise as always. Why use 10 words when 1 will do." She rolled her eyes, and then she remembered her sister was dead and the smile dropped.

"Well she's donated a sizable amount of her income to various charities but you should inherit the rest." Sango flipped the meagre pages "She owns a condo uptown and she would like for you to have it. It's been paid off, so there's no mortgage. All the guitars are there and she asks that you auction them off for charity."

"Except…" Sango frowned at the second page, trying to interpret Kikyou's wishes "She strictly wishes you to keep the…blue guitar? I assume it has some significance?"

Kagome was just as puzzled as Sango. She had been listening eagerly for some hints about the mysterious guitar. "Kikyou's always been crazy about guitars, ever since high school. Maybe the blue one is especially nice?"

Sango shrugged "There's some legal stuff to take care of, but I will look after that for you." Sango handed Kagome a small envelope with a key shaped bulge in it. "This key is to a safety deposit box in the bank. Kikyou kept a spare set of keys to her apartment there."

Kagome eyed the key. Well now she had some clues about the mysterious guitar. "Thanks Sango, for everything." She smiled sincerely, thankful that the lawyer had been the kind Sango. Kagome knew little about the law and even less about wills, it would have been easy for a con artist to dupe her.

"No problem." Sango looked thoughtful for a moment before opening a leather bound portfolio, getting out a business card and scrawling on it. "My phone numbers." She smiled shyly "In case you need anything or…want to talk."

Kagome took the card from her and grinned "I'll give you a call sometime. First I have to figure out if I have a phone." Skimming a hand through her hair, Kagome took a deep breath before leaving the tranquility of Sango's office for the bustle of the city.

* * *

Kagome dropped her bag to the floor, her mouth opened in shock. After getting the safety deposit box with no trouble, sometimes it was helpful to be practically Kikyou's twin, Kagome had embarked on finding the place. When she got to the address, she couldn't believe it. It was a beautiful historic building in a beautiful historic part of the city. It was quiet and even smelled good, both rare commodities in the downtown core.

Kicking her bag far enough in the entryway that she could close the door, Kagome wandered around the apartment, familiarizing herself with what seemed to be her new home. The fridge and pantry were empty and everything was clean. There was no evidence of Kikyou or the sudden onset of her prolonged illness. Only Kikyou would think to arrange to have her apartment cleaned while she was dying.

Sliding down the hallway to the last room, Kagome held her breath as she pushed open the door. She knew what would be on the other side. There they were, Kikyou's pride and joy. Kagome wasn't an expert, she only knew what she had picked during the short time she had lived with Kikyou, but she knew enough to be impressed by the collection. Almost all the guitars were acoustic, although there was one particularly dusty looking electric with a cheap amp.

"Blue guitar, blue guitar" Kagome repeated to herself, walking the circumference of the room in an attempt to find this precious guitar. At first she overlooked it, for it was buried in the back behind a beautiful hollow body, but with some careful maneuvering she managed to pull it free.

"This…" she eyed it critically "…this is Kikyou's blue guitar?" It was blue alright, or it must have been at one point because the colour had faded off of it with age. It was one of the roughest looking guitars Kagome had ever seen. The edges hadn't been sanded properly and the strings, well the ones that were intact, were made from strange materials. Especially the high E string, it looked like it was made of…silver? Kagome peered inside the body, but there was no label on it.

"I don't think I'd want people to know I made this guitar either." She thought moodily. She had been hoping the blue guitar would be something beautiful and delicate. Instead she got a rickety looking piece of wood that was roughly guitar shaped. Was this Kikyou's idea of a joke?

Sighing, Kagome felt the temptation to give it a strum. She tried to place her fingers on the fret board but the strings were oddly far apart. Further inspection of the neck revealed deep groves between the strings, allowing for long fingernails when playing. Kagome frowned at this detail. Kikyou had always had blunted nails, even before she played the guitar. She had suspected the guitar was custom made like many of Kikyou's other guitars. However, this one seemed like it belonged to someone else.

Shrugging, Kagome gave the strings a thoughtless strum. The sound that rattled out of it was awful. Granted some of the strings were broken, but Kagome had never heard a worse sound from an instrument in all her life.

When her brain started to become fuzzy, Kagome figured the sleepless night had finally caught up to her. Taking the blue guitar with her, she wandered to a guest bedroom and flopped down on the bed. Stripping off her clothes, Kagome huddled down beneath the sheets in her underwear.

She looked over at the guitar propped against the wall. What would Kikyou want with that thing? Before she drifted off to sleep, Kagome grimaced at her new responsibility. How on earth was she going to find someone to fix it? She turned away from it and signed in resignation. What else could she do?

A promise was a promise.


	3. The strings are cold on the Blue Guitar

The reviews for this story have made me feel like writing another chapter. I can't promise all of them will be this long, but I really wanted Inuyasha to make an appearance.

Read and enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or The Man with the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens.

* * *

_The sun no longer shares our works  
And the earth is alive with creeping men, _

_Mechanical beetles never quite warm?  
And shall I then stand in the sun, as now _

_I stand in the moon, and call it good,  
The immaculate, the merciful good, _

_Detached from us, from things as they are?  
Not to be part of the sun? To stand _

_Remote and call it merciful?  
The strings are cold on the blue guitar_

* * *

The bell jangled noisily behind Kagome as she entered her 5th guitar repair shop of the day. She had started at the place Kikyou usually bought her guitars from, an upscale joint two blocks from the apartment. The owner had taken one look at her clothes and the barest glance at the guitar before sending her on her way. Not having any success uptown, Kagome hopped the subway downtown, hoping one of the lower end places might be able to help her out. So far, she was shit out of luck.

"Hello?" She was nervous even stepping into this place. It was dusty and dark, the guitars hanging on its racks were foreign-makes that the average shopper wouldn't know what to do with. Clutching the blue guitar closer to herself, a low note resonated from the body when she accidentally brushed a string. Finding the sound oddly calming, Kagome wasn't startled when an old woman appeared behind her.

"Hello child." The shrunken woman gave her a kind, aged smile. "What can I help you with?"

Mentally preparing herself for the rejection, Kagome hesitantly held out the blue guitar for the old woman's inspection. "This…uh…my guitar is broken. I need it fixed." Using her one good eye, the woman stared at the wood. She reached out a weathered hand to touch it, but her hand paused so her fingers just brushed the body.

"What seems to be the trouble?" The woman's smile was inviting, but Kagome felt uncomfortable. That had been the other problem. When people asked her what was wrong with it, all she could tell them was it sounded bad. Not exactly the specifics these kinds of people were used to.

"I'm not sure." Kagome shifted quietly and the note rang from the guitar again "Well obviously some of the strings are broken, but it doesn't sound very good…uh..anymore." Kagome presumed it had once sounded like a normal guitar. Why else would Kikyou have bothered with it?

"Bring it on back and I'll take a look." Following the woman's slow steps to the backroom, Kagome quickly laid the guitar out on the table as directed and stepped back to let the woman look at it.

"There is something wrong inside the body." Her eye trailed down the resonance hole and she picked up a flashlight to aid in her search. "I won't know if I can fix it until I break it open."

For some reason Kagome felt fear slither down her spine. Bust it open? The blue guitar? Well if it was to be fixed, she supposed someone would have to open it up eventually. But when the woman didn't even know if she could fix it…

Feeling decidedly less eager to get rid of the guitar, Kagome lunged for it on the table, drawing it away from the elderly woman who now brandished a tool to pry the body apart.

"Um…I think I'll look around for someone who can tell me for sure what's wrong before opening it up…" Kagome flushed at the motherly smile the woman gave her. Feeling the need to explain why she had taken it back "It's very important to me and it's a…one of a kind."

The elderly woman chuckled, a low gravelly sound. "It is certainly rare, my child, but not one of a kind. Nay, I have seen another one like it."

Hope leapt in Kagome's heart. "Another one like it! Where did you see it?" Kagome wondered if it was another shop, and if it was, would the woman tell her? She must be eager for a sale, the merchandise in this store didn't look too popular. The whole time they were talking, no one had come in.

"In a pawn shop two blocks west of here. The man there had one just like it, although it wasn't out on display." The elderly woman walked over to her workbench and produced a pencil and a piece of paper. "Ask for Miroku and tell him that Kaede sent you. Show him the guitar and maybe he can help you out."

Kagome took the scrap of paper with an address on it and beamed at the woman, presumably Kaede. "Thank you so much!" She could have hugged her, finally a lead!

At her enthusiasm, Kaede smiled in amusement. "I am sorry I couldn't be more help to you, young one. That is a very rare guitar you have there."

Grumbling, Kagome nodded "Yes, I'm beginning to understand just how unique." It was too bad that her only lead was a pawnshop. Maybe this Miroku guy would also be able to fix guitars?

"Well I had better be on my way." Feeling the need to give something nice to the old woman who had helped her, Kagome gave her an honest smile "You have some very beautiful guitars here

Kaede's hand closed around hers on the neck of the blue guitar "They are nowhere near as beautiful as this guitar can be."

* * *

The pawnshop turned out to be exactly in the side of town that would need a pawnshop. Which was exactly the side of town that Kagome had been hoping to avoid. Sighing at the inevitability, Kagome clutched her purse and the guitar closer to herself. She wasn't normally a nervous person, she had wandered the streets on her own for far too long for that, but there was something in the air here. Suspicion, she guessed.

For the second time in two days, Kagome was counting room numbers. It seemed as if this whole street was lined with pawnshops. This was probably the most profitable location, given its proximity to both the casino and the red-light district. Giving a nervous glance around her, Kagome finally spotted her destination.

The shop was better lit than she was expecting and Kagome felt herself relax. She'd once had to pawn some jewelry to get the money for a bed in a hostel but that had been in a small village in the mountains, not a real city pawnshop like this. She only hoped this Miroku would be able to help her out.

"Why hello there." A smooth voice issued from a young man standing behind the counter. He leaned towards her and gave her a sweeping glance. "And what might I be able to do for a lovely young lady such as yourself?"

"I…" The undisguised lechery in his gaze left her at a loss before she recovered herself "I was referred here by Kaede. I am looking for Miroku." Ah good, nothing cuts attraction like mentioning an old woman. The young man looked startled before his slanted grin returned.

"Why I just so happen to be Miroku." Kagome cursed her luck. Why was the only person who could help her in this city also a perv? "Kaede hmm? Well then you must be here about a guitar?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome blocked his view of her body with the blue guitar. His face became serious when he saw it and for an instant his expression was cold. When his eyes returned to her face, his countenance was somewhat chilled.

"Where did you get that?" He reached a hand toward the guitar, gesturing for her to give it to him. Kagome walked towards him, but did not relinquish her hold on the guitar.

Deciding if this guy was going to help her, she would have to admit the truth, Kagome recounted "It was my sister's. When she died, she asked me to get this guitar fixed." Well, that sounded stranger as a sentence than it did as a mission statement when she was trying to fulfill her quest.

"Your sister?" Miroku's gaze traced the curves of the guitar and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the neck.

Feeling fed up, and deciding to play the card that she had been withholding the whole day, Kagome summoned herself up into her best Kikyou impression "My sister was the Kikyou Higurashi. The best classical guitar player this city has ever seen. Getting this guitar fixed was her dying wish and you are going to help me."

Miroku didn't look fazed but he did bring his gaze back to her face. "Kikyou Higurashi? Wow, now she was beautiful." He moved behind the counter towards a small door that presumably led to the back room "Played beautifully too. But you're wrong about her being the best classical guitar player this city has ever seen."

"You know someone better?" Kagome challenged, feeling more like she had her feet back under her. Arguing was much easier for her than staving off lecherous looks.

Miroku made no reply besides the sound of shifting boxes from the back room. When he returned out front, he carried a smaller version of her same guitar, this one painted a soft red. "Yup." He laid the guitar out on the counter and Kagome moved forward to inspect it. "He made these guitars."

"You know…who made them?" Kagome's eyes brightened. The man who made them would be able to fix this guitar. Then she would be finished here and could move on. Being back in her home city was already starting to feel claustrophobic and Kagome had been using Kikyou's computer to search for cheap plane tickets. The sooner this was dealt with, the better.

Running a hand through his hair, Miroku gave a sheepish grin "I know of him. He pawned this here a few months back, I don't think he needed the money, he just wanted to get rid of it."

"Why wouldn't he just sell it to a guitar store?" Kagome looked up at him and was surprised that Miroku's expression was serious. When their eyes met, his lips twitched into a smile but it looked forced.

"Do you know any guitar stores that would want it? Even I wasn't going to take it, but then I heard him play it." Miroku's gaze turned distant "and it sounded like childhood. When I originally took it, I actually planned on keeping it for myself, but then…"

He flexed his right hand on the counter. It was the first time Kagome had noticed he was wearing gloves inside. "Well I couldn't play it, so I have been trying to sell it."

"Are you interested in buying it?" the twinkle of business had re-entered his eyes. Kagome frowned. While she certainly could afford whatever he was asking with all the money Kikyou had given her, not to mention the money that was tucked away in a bank somewhere from her parents' deaths, Kagome always felt guilty using that money. Blood money. Paid for by the death of her family.

"I'm not sure if I could afford it. I'm more interested in finding the guitar maker. Can you please tell me where to find him?" Kagome put on her best begging pose.

Miroku appeared to ignore her question "If you can't afford it, I could think of more…interesting ways for you to pay it off."

Kagome had enough. Gripping his collar where he was leaning against the counter, she brought her angry face close to his. "Tell me where the guitar maker is. And stop hitting on me!"

"I can't tell you where he is, I promised I wouldn't." Kagome blinked in surprise, releasing Miroku. Once he was safely behind the counter, Miroku smoothed down his shirt and the charming grin returned to his face. "However, if you were willing to go on a date with me, I would take you where he plays."

"Why can't you just tell me where he plays?" Kagome was reluctant to spend time with this man when there wasn't a glass barrier between them.

"I promised I wouldn't tell, I never promised I wouldn't show." Miroku's grin turned wicked, and Kagome finally understood what made him a good pawnshop owner.

Seeing no alternative, Kagome nodded "Alright, I'll go out with you. Would it be like, this Friday?"

Miroku laughed, "No, he's not a main enough gig to play on Fridays. Tomorrow evening is when he plays, down at a bar in the red-light." At Kagome's disgusted face, he reassured her "It isn't one of…those establishments. Although there are many pretty faces there for hire…" His face had a look of wistful remembrance that Kagome didn't like "but it's just a bar."

Even though this sounded like a mistake, Kagome felt sure this was the right thing to do. "Alright, should I just meet you here?"

* * *

"I can't believe we're here at night." Sango flicked her nervous gaze around the street. "Remind me again why I'm here?"

"Because you're a good person?" Kagome gave her a bright smile, to which Sango gave a grimace. "Please Sango, I'm sorry if this is terrible but I just couldn't do it alone."

Sango shrugged, forcing the tension out of her body "I'm sorry I'm complaining so much Kagome. I'm not usually such a drag."

"That's alright Sango. I would probably be the same if a girl I'd only known for a few days called me up and asked me to accompany her and another stranger to a red-light bar on a Wednesday night." Kagome had been feeling bad about calling Sango ever since they got on the subway. They were practically strangers, and here was Sango giving up her evening. Kagome just couldn't do this alone. So she'd enlisted the only backup she currently had.

Sango wrapped a hand around her arm to halt Kagome's progress down the street. "I didn't mean it like that Kagome, I'm glad you called me." Sango looked sheepish "I was hoping we could be friends."

Kagome's face broke out with a grin and she looped her arm through Sango's "We already are friends Sango, my dear."

Their moment of friendship was ruined when an excited male voice called out to them "Is this why you resisted my advances? Because you were already taken, my dove?"

Kagome turned to glare at him while Sango was too shocked for words. "The name is Kagome. This is my friend Sango, who always goes everywhere with me. She already knows about the blue guitar."

Miroku's smiling face became one of awe when his gaze shifted from Kagome to Sango. In trained-lawyer fashion, Sango stuck out her hand for a handshake. Miroku quickly took it and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. Sango blushed a bright shade of red and started pulling on her hand but Miroku's grip was tight. "You're a very beautiful woman, Sango."

Apparently a familiar line to the young woman, she stopped blushing and quickly drew her hand back. "Keep your hands to yourself, you pervert. I have a black belt in just about every martial art you can think of and I'm not afraid to use it."

Incensed, Sango marched ahead towards the bawdy, bar-lined street. Kagome looked over at Miroku who was staring at Sango's retreating figure in a daze. "Ah Sango. An angel on this earth."

Kagome rolled her eyes "C'mon Romeo, let's catch up to Juliet before she gets lost in the red-light district."

* * *

The bar was dark. That was about all that Kagome could tell about it. A thick fog of smoke hung around the bar, and a few patrons were scattered at the tables, their faces blurred by the blue-grey haze. Sango moved closer to her side as the three of them progressed into the establishment.

Miroku led them to a table against the wall. It felt like everyone's eyes were staring at them, and even Miroku's normally friendly grin was somewhat strained.

"You two should probably wait here." He gestured towards the bar "I'll go get us something to drink." He dropped his coat over Sango's bared arms. "Try not to talk to anyone."

Sango blushed and fingered the jacket, then blushed darker when she realized Kagome was staring at her. Kagome felt her lips tilt up in a grin. Well, well, well…

Almost as soon as Miroku left, the first man appeared. He sat in the empty seat next to Kagome, and moved to lean on her chair. Pulling her face into a cold glare, Kagome told him in her haughtiest voice to leave her alone. It wasn't the first time she'd been hounded by men, but this was one of the sleaziest places she had ended up so far in her life and she wasn't taking any chance.

Most of their admirers stayed to the periphery, and some of the more…inviting women moved towards the table to try to get some business. Kagome reached across the table to reassure a nervous looking Sango, who gave her a small grin of encouragement and then slanted a man who was staring at her a warning glare.

When Miroku returned and handed each of them a drink, most of the men's interest waned, as they appeared spoken for. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome turned her attention to why they were there.

A small stage was set up kitty-corner to the bar. While it was nothing extravagant, there was a decent looking sound set up and a rickety spotlight on an empty stool. For a moment, Kagome tried to picture Kikyou playing here with one of her beautiful guitars and the image made her laugh. When her companions gave her a strange look she waved them off. They sat in an oddly comfortable silence for three people who barely knew each other.

It was interrupted by the sound of bare feet walking on the makeshift stage. A young man, his face covered by a black fedora, was arranging the stool and adjusting the microphone to the right height. Grunting when it suited him, he turned to his guitar case and snapped it open.

As he got comfortable on the stool, Kagome's mouth opened in shock. This guy was playing a guitar that looked just like Kikyou's! This guitar was black, and freshly painted so it held its colour. The body was curved differently, and it gave his tuning chords and deeper, more resonant thrum when he played them.

Balancing the guitar on his denim-clad thigh, his fingers curled around the fret board and Kagome felt her mouth go dry with anticipation. Even at this distance Kagome could see his long nails that fit snugly into the groves in the neck. The fingers on his right hand were spread to dance along the strings and a deep breath was the only warning before he started to play.

And it was beautiful. Mesmerizing. Heartbreaking. Kagome felt tears well in her eyes after only a few moments. Though she had personally no deep love for the guitar, she had listened to enough of it to know when someone was good. And this guy was fantastic. Possibly…possibly better than Kikyou.

Watching him more carefully, Kagome knew he wasn't as technically good as Kikyou. Even guitar virtuosos had praised her sister for her level of skill. But his playing was so…honest. She knew automatically that he had written the song himself, she'd never heard anything so heartbreaking before in her life. The notes rang of his melancholy, each strum was the painful beat of his heart.

His body barely moved as his played, there were no other sounds besides the rich music produced by his guitar. He never spoke between songs, just paused to crack his knuckles or take a sip of water before starting again. Entranced, Kagome blinked with surprise when he did play a song that was familiar.

It was a song that Kikyou used to play in the very beginning of guitar learning. When Kagome noticed she didn't have any notation for it, Kikyou had just shrugged and said her teacher had taught it to her from memory. It was a beautiful song, not too difficult to play and stayed in the major chords. Or at least it used to.

The sweet song that Kagome remembered took and unexpected turn when he strayed into D minor. The same theme, in this different key, caused her breath to stick in her throat. It sang of moments of disillusion, that bittersweet instant where the complete truth was revealed and it broke your heart.

Expecting the song to return to the major to bring it to completion, she was surprised when he stopped suddenly on the tension note, leaving all the listeners feeling awkward. He said nothing as turned off the microphone and readjusted it back to its usual height. Kagome started to clap but Miroku caught her hands. She shot him a dark look but he just shook his head.

The guitarist didn't seem to notice. He continued packing up his guitar with care before snapping the lid shut and shuffling over to his abandoned shoes. It took Kagome this long to realize that he was going to leave without her saying anything, so she shot to her feet. Miroku tried to stop her again.

"Kagome, wait." He stood in her way.

"Get out of my way Miroku!" She shoved at him, but for such a slim man he was difficult to budge. "I can't let him get away."

"Inuyasha isn't good with change. Just let him get used to you being here. Then go and talk to him." Miroku looked nervous. For all his bravado in the pawnshop, clearly he didn't want to upset this 'Inuyasha' by letting him know he'd brought guests.

Well that was too bad. Kagome pretended that she had given up, only to dart around him and quickly through the table to the stage. She tapped the guitarist on the shoulder as he turned to leave.

"Excuse me, sir?" Kagome felt about five years old and quashed the feeling under his shoe as he kept walking. With more confidence she moved around him to stand in his way. "Listen I know you don't like attention but I have something to ask you."

"Get outta my way, wench. I ain't interested in any of your services." He growled at her, eyes still hidden behind his hat. In the dark of the bar, his features were difficult to make out anyways but the hat made it impossible.

"My…services…?" Kagome looked at him blankly for a moment and he used her confusion as a moment to escape out the backdoor to the parking lot. When it occurred to her what he thought she was, she went charging after him. "Why you…you bastard…get back here!"

Meanwhile, feeling forgotten at their table in the bar, Sango and Miroku shared a look.

"I don't think she knows what she's getting into with him." Miroku muttered. Sango looked surprised at the concern in his voice.

Then, thinking about the fact that this night had so far been the strangest night of her life and she had only known Kagome for three days, Sango gave a little laugh. "She'll be okay. But I don't think he knows what he's getting into with her."

* * *

"Wait!" He kept walking "I mean it, you'd better wait!" And yet he continued walking. Angry beyond sense, Kagome took off her shoe and whipped it at him. He caught it easily and then turned to glare at her.

"Well if you just stopped when I asked you, I wouldn't have had to throw my shoe!" Kagome panted as she reached him. Now in the better light of the street, she could make out more of his features. Dressed indistinctly in a white button-down top and a pair of jeans, the only features worth note were the low-pulled fedora and the…silver hair?

"Yeah, yeah." Giving a sigh of great patience, he let her snatch the shoe back and didn't move to leave after she took it. But he still didn't look at her.

"I wouldn't have chased you if I wasn't desperate," He sniggered but she chose to be the bigger woman and ignore him "I have one of the guitars you made and it's broken so I was wondering…"

He fully turned to look at her and Kagome's sentence trailed off at the intensity in his gold eyes. He looked…furious.

"Kikyou…you sneaky bitch!" He rounded on her "How the fuck did you find me. Fuck! Forget it, I don't even care."

He spun on his heel and looked ready to storm off but Kagome grabbed his arm. "I'm not Kikyou!" She shrieked. He kept pulling at his arm, trying to shake her off. "Kikyou is dead."

His body froze. "…Dead?"

Alert eyes returned to her face and he sniffed for a minute like he was testing the air. "Alright, you're not Kikyou." Shaking her off, and when it looked like he wasn't going to bolt, Kagome released him. "Dead you said. When?"

"A couple of days ago." The pain hit Kagome harder than she had been expecting. Pushing it aside, she moved the blue guitar to the forefront of her mind. "She had one of your guitars. The blue one?"

His lip twisted in a bitter smile. "I know."

"It's broken…" Kagome felt her curiosity returning. How had this rogue known her polished sister?

Another sneer "I know."

"Well, can you fix it?" Kagome felt impatient. What was with this guy? Who knows a guitar they made is broken and doesn't fix it? Especially for Kikyou Higurashi.

"No." He turned to walk away again but Kagome had reached her wits' end.

"No! No! How can you say no!" She felt tears pool in her eyes and saw no reason to stave them off. Her last shred of hope was leaving her. "Fine. Leave! I'll figure something else out. I don't want your help anyways!" Kagome covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly.

Inuyasha made an awkward sound. "Hey, c'mon wench. Quit cryin' alright?"

She kept crying. What was she supposed to do now? Why did the guy who made the guitar have to be such a prick? Of all the favours to ask for, why did Kikyou have to make it about this stupid blue guitar!

When she felt him walking away, Kagome tightened her face in attempt to squash her tears. She was surprised when she felt a piece of paper being thrust against her arms, so she parted her hands to look down at it. Inuyasha was handing her a piece of paper with an address written on it. She took it from him slowly, staring at him in disbelief.

"If you care so much about the fucking thing, bring it to me at my place." He shoved one hand in his pocket and tipped the hat on his head.

Kagome was speechless. He…was going to help her? Unexpected joy swept through her and she beamed at him. For his part he looked uncomfortable.

"Name's Inuyasha." He mumbled. Kagome decided that this was a bad time to bring up that she already knew. "It's not in town or nothin' but I ain't coming to get you. If you want it fixed so bad, you can get yourself to me."

Grumbling, Inuyasha walked over to an ancient looking pick-up truck and tossed his guitar in the passenger seat. Kagome clutched his address like a lifeline, still watching him as the truck turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Miroku and Sango joined her outback shortly thereafter. Miroku looked surprised she had managed to get anything out of Inuyasha at all. Kagome was unusually quiet for the rest of the trip back home, already thinking about her night of bus schedule searching.

She would get to Inuyasha. Only he could make the blue guitar sing again.


	4. The Blue Guitar becomes the place

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the Man with the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens

* * *

_A tune beyond us as we are,  
Yet nothing changed by the blue guitar;_

_Ourselves in the tune as if in space,  
Yet nothing changed, except the place_

_For a moment final, in the way  
The thinking of art seems final when_

_The thinking of god is smoky dew.  
The tune is space. The blue guitar_

_Becomes the place of things as they are,  
A composing of senses of the guitar._

* * *

Clutching the blue guitar tightly, Kagome carefully maneuvered herself and the broken instrument off of the bus. The town was remote, not quite the middle of nowhere but pretty goddamn near to it. She looked at the address critically and compared it to a map she had bought back in the city. The town was small and not quaint enough to be touristy. She was the only one to get off the coach bus at this stop and she'd heard a few grumbles from her fellow passengers about having to stop there at all.

The whole place seemed to be based around the same street and this main street was the one Inuyasha's address told her. So, pointing her feet in the right direction, Kagome strolled down the sidewalk to the rude man that could fix Kikyou's ugly guitar.

The mystery of what had happened between her sister and that man was probably more interesting than the guitar itself. Kagome barely remembered the few boys Kikyou had dated in high school and there had been no mention of men in the letters she had received. Kagome wasn't an idiot, she was sure her sister had taken a few lovers in her day. But Inuyasha's fury seemed too strong for them to have only been casual lovers.

And there was the fact that he knew Kikyou's song. Or Kikyou knew his song, depending on which way the situation went. He looked about Kikyou's age, if she had to hazard a guess. Though there was the matter of that silver hair.

Lost in the musings of the unknown past, Kagome walked straight past the house number she was looking for and had to double back. Somehow this house didn't look…remote enough to house a man like Inuyasha. She didn't exactly picture him as the kind of guy to trade idle pleasantries with his neighbour.

Saying a small prayer on the blue guitar, Kagome nervously walked up his front walk. The rusty old truck wasn't parked in the neat driveway but for all she knew it could be parked in the garage. Reaching the unremarkable front door, Kagome's hand hesitated for a moment before she delivered a pounding knock to the surface.

The sound of shuffling issued from behind the door and Kagome held her breath as the door opened. When it revealed a confused young man, his wife peering up at her from the end of the hallway, Kagome knew exactly what had happened.

That bastard had tricked her.

* * *

As she politely thanked Kaede for her tea, Kagome wasn't too sure what to tell the old woman when Kaede asked why she was there. Kagome had felt…distraught when she found out Inuyasha didn't live at that address. Didn't even live in that town in fact. And so she sought council from the wisest person she could think of.

Retelling the tale of meeting the irritable man had taken the same amount of time as it took Kaede's ancient kettle to boil. They were currently sitting in a small room off the main store. It looked as if it may have at one time been a teashop and Kaede served her tea in ornate teacups.

"From your description of this Inuyasha I can't say I'm surprised he tricked you." Kaede softly chided, "You cannot trust men like him so easily."

Kagome sighed into her teacup "I know, but my crying seemed to make him so nervous, I was hoping it threw him off enough to tell me the truth."

Kaede smiled kindly "Take heart child. Be patient with Inuyasha and he will come around."

From the way she was talking… "Kaede…" the question was, how to phrase this question without sounding impertinent "…Do you know Inuyasha?"

Kaede gave a gravelly chuckle "Though you are too quick to trust, you are very observant." The old woman took a sip of her tea, "Yes, I do know Inuyasha. From when he was much younger and I lived in a small village where I sold guitars."

Kaede's eye clouded over with memories "He was only young then. I'd see his silver hair poking up above the edge of the window as he would stare at my guitars." The wistful look on her face made Kagome's heart ache "His mother lived alone and didn't have much money. I would have let him come in and play but he never dared enter the shop. Just stared longingly outside the window."

Kagome felt a bit of excitement returning. As mad as she was that Inuyasha had duped her, she was strangely glad that the quest of the blue guitar continued. It was pretty fun. "What village was this? Do you think he still lives there?"

Kaede looked sad and traced an aged finger around the rim of the teacup "Nay. He left shortly after his mother died and I doubt he would return." Her expression turned sorrowful "The townspeople were…not kind to him and his mother. Once she was gone, I don't think he saw any reason to stay."

"Oh." Kagome swirled her tea, watching the liquid form a small whirlpool. The question was: what now? Should she keep badgering Inuyasha or find someone else to fix the guitar.

She asked Kaede as much. The aged woman looked away reflectively "I don't think anyone but Inuyasha can fix that guitar dear one." She reached over to take Kagome's hand "Just have some patience child. You can win him over."

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, right." She placed her empty teacup down and stretched. Kagome had a million things to pack up at Kikyou's before she could sell the flat, but she was putting off routing through her dead sister's stuff. It all seemed so sad, to throw away souvenirs from parts of Kikyou's life she knew nothing about. Not to mention the guitar auction was coming up. Kagome knew it was her sister's wish, but it felt almost like she was selling Kikyou herself.

"I'd better get going Kaede" Kagome placed her cup in the sink and smiled thankfully at Kaede "Thank you for your help."

Kaede got to her feet carefully, holding the table for support. Once fully upright, she nodded at Kagome "It was good to see you again. Stop by any time."

As Kaede hobbled out of sight, Kagome felt a pang of longing for her mother she hadn't felt in a long time. Forcibility shoving that thought to the back of her mind, Kagome exited the shop and headed back to Kikyou's.

It was going to take forever to get through Kikyou's past.

* * *

Sango whistled appreciatively when she entered Kikyou's apartment. "Are you sure you don't want to keep this place? It must have cost a small fortune."

Kagome sighed "I don't see much point in it. I don't think I'd use it. Might as well let someone else who will actually be around get to enjoy it."

Sango eyed the space appraisingly "I would put an offer in, I'd love to live here, but I doubt even the most reasonable price is in my price range."

Kagome shrugged "I'll probably leave that up to whatever realtor I end up getting. It was nice of Kikyou to leave it to me, but she knows I move all the time so I don't think she expected me to keep it."

"I don't know Kagome." Sango sank into one of Kikyou's sofas with a groan "Why would she get everything cleaned up if she didn't expect you to live here?"

Kagome could only shrug again "Kikyou has always had some strange ideas about me. We weren't close, so I guess I couldn't expect her to know me that well."

Sango leaned forward on her knees "Never mind that now. I've been dying to hear how your adventure went yesterday."

Kagome relayed the tale of her adventure and its disappointing finish. Sango didn't look surprised.

"Miroku suspected something like this might happen," a very faint blush graced Sango's cheekbones and Kagome felt her vision focus on it. "You seemed so excited about it and he didn't want to disappoint you."

"Miroku, huh?" Kagome slanted a sly glance at her friend "You talked to him recently?"

"He called yesterday…" Sango confessed, "I told him I hadn't heard from you yet but he just kept on talking. He's a funny guy."

As Sango dazed into space for a minute Kagome did her best to hide her very teenage giggle. "You don't say."

Sango, catching on to the insinuation, looked highly affronted "He's still a pervert…just a…smarter pervert than I gave him credit for."

Sango gave her a pretend leer "Besides, your Inuyasha sounds like such a catch, I might rather be after him."

Kagome made a sound of disgust "He certainly isn't my Inuyasha." She crossed her arms over her chest a slumped further into her chair "The only thing I want with that guy is for him to fix this stupid guitar. God, if he would just take like two seconds and fix it, then I could be out of his hair and out of his life."

Kagome snapped her fingers "That's it!" she sent Sango a giddy smile "I just have to be so annoying that he's willing to do anything to get rid of me."

"You can only see him once a week. At the bar." Sango reminded her "It's pretty hard to be annoying when you only see someone that rarely."

Kagome let out a breath between her lips "Well my very presence seems to irritate him enough. Maybe if I keep going, he'll cave?"

Sango made a sound of disbelief and shrugged "It's the best you can do for now I suppose."

"You think Miroku is up for another trip to the bar?" Kagome asked, trying to keep the suggestion out of her voice. When Sango didn't glare at her, she figured she succeeded.

"I'm sure if we ask him, he'll go." Sango face fell into a frown "I don't think that guy ever turns down anything that had to do with the red-light."

* * *

Sure enough it was the three of them strolling back to the bar the following Wednesday night. Kagome had spent the mean time wandering around the city, living through some of her memories from when she lived here. It was fun to see how much everything had changed. It was even more fun to see how it was still the same.

It was with trepidation that the three approached the bar. Would the owner kick them out? Would Inuyasha show? There was no way of knowing without going inside. Sango took the lead as the threesome returned to the murky depths.

It was the same old song and dance as last time. Same smoke-induced blindness, same leering men, but they were already better at handling it. Miroku still dropped his coat on Sango, even though such an act was unnecessary.

Kagome felt like she was waiting on pins and needles, her eyes glued to the stage. Mirkou and Sango engaged in some small talk but it couldn't hold Kagome's attention. She was practically holding her breath in anticipation.

And when the sound of bare feet shuffling across the stage met her ears, Kagome felt the grin split on her face. She had been sure that Inuyasha wouldn't show this week, he seemed to have a propensity for running away. But it seemed that even she was not enough to disrupt his routine.

He lowered the microphone and arranged himself on the rickety stool. A few practiced flicks later and the black guitar was back out. He went through the motions of tuning the guitar even though it was already in tune, each note a sure and solid tone. Letting her head rest on her hands propped up by the table, Kagome settled herself in for another concert.

His playing was just as soulful as last time as he worked through a whole new set of songs. He still never spoke and if anything the fedora was pulled lower than before. Most of the songs held much the same somber tone, the same aching loneliness. One of the songs in the middle of his set gave him trouble and he seemed to stumble over one of the pull-offs. Looking frustrated with himself, he quickened the tempo and sped through the rest of it, confusion still evident on his features even as he started the next tune.

At the end of the set, he played the same modified form of Kikyou's song. Clearly that was also an integral part of the routine. And when it ended, Kagome didn't pause to clap. Instead she flew out of her chair towards the stage, eager to catch him before he left again and before Miroku could stop her.

He was practically out the door by the time she reached him. Kagome had never seen someone move that fast.

"Inuyasha!" She rushed after him, catching the door when he purposefully let it swing back in her face "Get back here!"

He was hustling across the parking lot, but trying not to look like he was hustling. His attempted at a cool façade gave Kagome a chance to catch up with him. She managed to catch the handle of the driver door to his pick up just as he was about to close it.

"Inuyasha! Wait a minute!" She puffed to try to get enough breath back to yell at him.

"What are you doing here bitch!" He was livid, glaring at her from the driver's seat, "Even you aren't a big enough idiot to not know that I want you to leave me alone."

She wheedled "If you would just fix the guitar, then I promise I will leave you alone."

He looked annoyed. "No."

"Why not?" She growled in annoyance "It would probably take you like five minutes. Please, just fix it."

He gave her a suspicious look "Why is this so important to you anyways. It's just a stupid guitar. Kikyou probably had about a million more you could play."

Kagome swallowed and debated what to tell him. There was definitely some bad blood between this guy and her sister, but she wasn't sure what else to say. She decided to bite the bullet "It was Kikyou's dying wish… to have the blue guitar fixed."

This news seemed to unsettle him. He looked at her suspiciously and seemed even more disturbed when he saw no deception. "Let go of the handle bitch, or I'll rip your arm off."

"Can't you see how important this is to her?" Kagome was getting irritated. This guy gave bastard a whole new definition.

He smirked "That's exactly why I'm not doing it."

Kagome was sure she should be incensed by what he just said, but all her attention was currently diverted to what was sticking out between his lips. "Are those…fangs?"

He blinked in surprise before pulling the fedora lower, casting his face back in shadow. "Let go of the handle, bitch. I ain't telling you again."

"No." She clutched the handle tighter. She saw his knuckles turn white where they gripped the steering wheel.

Quicker than she could see the movement, he grabbed the door and pulled. Kagome released the handle with a sharp hiss of breath when the metal pinched her hand. Clutching her sore palm, she glared at him through the window. "I'm not giving up."

He turned on the truck and shifted it out of park "Stay away from me. If you know what's good for ya."

For the second time, Kagome watched him pull off into the night. It certainly wouldn't be the last.

* * *

And so it became a routine for the three of them to meet and Miroku's pawnshop on Wednesday nights and to troupe on over to the red-light. The bartender mixed their drinks as soon as they walked in the door and they actually exchanged nods of greeting with a few of the regulars.

They would sit in 'their' table and chat about their lives and anything else that came to mind. Kagome usually lunched with Sango at other points in the week, so she was kept appraised of the lawyer's life. Feeling a bit like a matchmaker, Kagome tended to stay out of the conversation to allow Miroku and Sango a time to bond. She wasn't sure if a relationship could form from the unlikely pair, but they seemed attracted to each other nonetheless.

And she didn't want to miss Inuyasha setting up. It was becoming her favorite part of set, just to watch him quietly fiddle with the guitar. A small peace before the storm of emotions he whipped up when his deft fingers plucked the strings.

Something new had been added to his starting routine. Right before he began to play, in a movement so unperceivable that she wouldn't have noticed were she not studying him so intently, he looked up for them. His gaze never stayed there, but Kagome knew he was checking to see if they showed up. For some reason, the thought gave a flutter to her chest.

And after his set was over, Kagome would always go running after him out the door. They would exchange insults, Kagome would plead with him to get him to fix the guitar, he would say no and insult her some more, then drive off in his rusty pick up. Kagome often wondered why she bothered to go to him but week after week she couldn't help herself and she went running on up.

It also occurred to her this was the longest she had stayed in a single place in a long time. It was frustrating her that she couldn't leave, and yet at the same time she wasn't that reluctant to stay. She had taken a job waitressing, hoping to build up her own funds to the point where she wouldn't have to live off Kikyou's money. With her visits with Kaede and Sango increasing in frequency, her life was busy enough that the passage of time didn't bother her. Not to mention the annoying people from the auction house that kept calling about the guitars.

The Wednesday Routine had become so established that on that particular Wednesday, when the subway had an unexpected delay causing the girls to be trapped in the tunnel for an hour, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome were running down the street from his pawnshop, hoping to catch the end of Inuyasha's set. Kagome wasn't sure why they were trying this hard, surely Inuyasha would be glad to be rid of her for a week. But she didn't check her pace and the three of them barreled into the bar, startling one of the half-drunk patrons by the door.

Amazingly, Inuyasha was still playing. Kagome checked her watch, it was well past time for him to be finished. And yet he played on. His current song was hard and fast, a furious beat that Kagome could barely keep up with. When it ended and he started playing Kikyou's song, she breathed a sigh of relief.

And as always, after he had carefully packed up his guitar, Kagome ran up to the stage. Only this time their weekly altercation started out differently.

"Where the hell were you, bitch?" He snarled at her. Kagome took a step back in surprise. Usually he ignored her and her pleading until they got to the car. Now he was rounding on her before they even left the bar.

"I…What…?" Kagome was too unbalanced for words. When he said nothing further and made no movement, she gathered he was waiting for an explanation. Still completely bemused, she explained to him "Sango and I were stuck in the subway. We ran here with Miroku as fast as we could to try to catch the end."

He looked appeased by her explanation and he moved to hurry out the door. Kagome trailed after him, slower than usual as she was still mulling over their last exchange. Did Inuyasha…care if they were there to listen?

Kagome knew better than to ask. "So about the blue guitar…?" She knew it was getting old, but what choice did she have.

Again a change happened "What are you going to do with it if I do fix it?"

Kagome bit her lip in thought. She hadn't really gotten that far. Just getting the damn thing fixed was seeming more and more impossible that what happened afterwards seemed irrelevant. "I don't know."

He glared at her through the truck window "You're such an idiot." She gave an indignant cry at his insult but he ignored her. "Come up with a better answer and I'll think about it, Kagome."

As she watched him leave, her head a-spin with these new developments, Kagome's mind fixated on one point. Her name.

How had he known her name?


	5. The Blue Guitar surprises you

I am a bit nervous about this chapter to be quite honest with you, so I would really appreciate some feedback from it. Since I started with Inuyasha as a half-demon I knew I had to follow through, but I feel like a bit of the realism in this story will be gone. Hopefully it goes okay.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor The Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens

* * *

_Throw away the lights, the definitions,  
And say of what you see in the dark_

_That it is this or that it is that,  
But do not use the rotted names._

_You as you are? You are yourself.  
The blue guitar surprises you._

* * *

Kagome sighed, her head falling to rest on her crossed arms lying on the table. Her focus was entirely on listening to the quiet melody of Inuyasha's guitar, tuning out the sounds of the bar. The periphery noises now included a poker game involving Miroku, Sango, and one of the regular working girls that haunted this establishment. Kagome had tried to participate, but between the two women who had been trained to lie for a living and, well, Miroku, she hadn't stood much of a chance. After a few hands of utter defeat, Kagome went back to her preferred, and much cheaper, hobby of watching Inuyasha play.

She had been thinking all week about what she should do with the blue guitar when it was fixed. The most logical choice was to play it, but she didn't think she would bother carrying the old piece of junk with her when she wandered around. At the moment her best plan was to give it to Kaede. The old woman seemed fond of the guitar, so it only seemed fair that she should have it after all she had done for Kagome.

That didn't seem like a good thing to tell Inuyasha though. Kagome only hoped for some divine inspiration before their weekly confrontation.

The set drew to a close with the tension note of Kikyou's song, as usual. Kagome stood and brushed off her skirt, determined that this time she would get the best of Inuyasha. He would agree to fix the blue guitar tonight.

She managed to catch up with him in the parking lot. Apparently his waiting for her in the bar was a one-time event. Up in the truck he went as she raced after him. She was pretty sure he just liked sitting up there so he could stare down his nose at her.

"Inuyasha! Wait!" panting, she skidded to a halt outside his door, sending the rocks of the parking lot flying.

"What is it, bitch?" he picked at his nails in disinterest "You decided what you're going to do with that guitar yet?"

Kagome sighed and thought for a minute. Still no answer occurred to her, so she decided to go for plan b: distraction. "How did you know my name?"

He looked startled by the change in subject and Kagome mentally cheered for catching him off guard. "Huh?"

"My name. You called me Kagome last week." She really hoped she wasn't blushing. Every time she thought about him saying her name, a heat crept into her face and a distinct zing shot through her blood. It had sounded so good coming from his devious mouth. Not that this was the time to be thinking about his mouth.

"Keh. Kikyou told me, idiot." He rolled his eyes at her stupidity.

"Kikyou's dead. How could she have told you?" Kagome's eyes narrowed sharply "Did she tell you I would be coming to get the guitar fixed?"

He shrugged "Nah. She told me from before." He gave her a dry grin "She was always complaining about her little bitch sister Kagome. One who looked like her and tried to act like her but could never measure up."

He gave her a calculating look "You seemed to match the description nicely. You were just as pathetic as she said. Similar features to Kikyou but nowhere near as beautiful. Just a clumsy, awkward, gullible, and useless bitch."

Kagome felt her face contort into a wince. She had thought enough time had passed and those wounds would be covered in enough scar tissue that a well-aimed jab at her inferiority wouldn't hurt anymore. She wasn't trying to be Kikyou dammit!

She should have known better than to show her weakness to a man like Inuyasha. Kagome saw the glint his eyes took and she tried to harden her heart for whatever insult he threw next.

She was surprised "Besides," he drawled, looking bored "isn't everyone else dead? You're the only Higurashi left alive at this point. It was pretty much process of elimination to figure out who you were." He sneered at her "Your family must be fucking cursed."

Kagome put a hand on her heart, trying to shield it from his words. He was unrelenting "It's definitely cursed if the only one left is someone as useless as you. I'll bet generations of Higurashis are wishing that you had been the one to die instead of…"

A slap to his face stopped him from finishing the sentence. Kagome was breathing hard, her hand aching from delivering the blow. He looked shocked, and one of his hands reached up to touch a livid mark on his cheek.

"You are the biggest asshole I have ever met." To her horror, Kagome felt a single tear slide down the side of her face. Needing to get away from him before she burst into sobs, Kagome turned on her heel and walked away.

* * *

Kagome stabbed viciously at her salad, drawing a few curious looks from her fellow restaurant patrons on the trendy garden patio. Sango placed a calming hand on her wrist.

"You can't keep letting him bother you Kagome." Sango smiled kindly at her "it's just letting him win."

Kagome sighed and set her fork down. "I know Sango, I know." She buried her face in her hands "It was just such a sharp shot, you know? How could he have known?"

Sango shrugged "Well maybe he was just operating under the assumption that since Kikyou was famous and you weren't, you'd have some kind of complex about it."

Kagome shook her head "No. It was like he knew about the falling out we had."

"Falling out?" Sango peered at her curiously. Internally Kagome cursed. She didn't like to think about, let alone talk about those days.

"Let's just say that going to university far, far away from anyone who knew Kikyou was the best thing that ever happened to me." Kagome sighed, "Kikyou is…was so perfect, you know? Good at everything. Polite and poised."

Kagome toyed like her fork "I was always clumsy and a bit of a tomboy. My mother wanted princesses and she got one with Kikyou." Kagome made a face "But she definitely got the opposite in me. I was more likely to wrestle with our kid brother Souta than drink tea or practice my calligraphy."

Kagome looked around the restaurant to make sure no one was listening, catching Sango's rapt gaze "I actually took guitar lessons first. But when Kikyou started with her private tutor, I was nowhere near as good so I quit that and did something else."

Sango made a sympathetic noise and Kagome went back to stabbing her salad. "I've never been as good as her, so I just had to go and make it out there on my own. I had a huge fight about it with my mother before I went away to school and we didn't talk again because then there was the accident…"

Kagome shrugged "It was all so long ago, you know?" Sango nodded sympathetically "I thought I would be over it."

Sango looked out of the window "Some wounds never really heal Kagome." She gave her a sad smile "You just learn to live with the ache."

The shared another smile of understanding. Kagome felt overwhelmed by gratitude. "I'm so glad to have met you Sango, you've been such a great help to me."

"Not as glad as I've been to spend time with you Kagome," Sango gave her a shy grin "I'm not…very social generally, it's nice to have someone to talk to." Sango's chin tilted to her chest and she looked up at Kagome quietly "I'll miss you when you're gone."

Kagome blinked in surprise. She had forgotten that she was probably going to leave soon. "Well even when I leave we can still e-mail or something." Sudden inspiration hit her "Or you could come with me?"

Sango's brow furrowed "Go with you? I can't just up and leave Kagome, I have a life here."

"You have a job that bores you, you live in an apartment you hate, and you've been avoiding making relationships since your brother died." Kagome stated, and then regretted it when hurt overtook Sango's expression.

"Gee Kagome, tell it to me straight why don't ya?" Sango sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I…couldn't just leave…"

Deciding this conversation was still much too serious, Kagome poked a bit of fun "Besides," she made sure her voice was clearly teasing, "you couldn't leave behind your precious Miroku."

Sango's face coloured instantly and she glared at Kagome before joining her in a little laugh. "Alright, I'll admit I'm a bit attached to the guy." Spying Kagome's hopeful look, Sango backpedaled "But he's still a lecher, not to mention he owns a pawnshop. Who knows what kind of shady deals he's involved in?"

Kagome shrugged "Then maybe he'll need a lawyer to help set him straight." She clasped her hands together and a dreamy look came over his face "You'll save him from his life on the edge of sin." The dreamy look became a scheming one "Or better yet you join him and learn the thrill of living life against the grain."

Sango used her straw to flick some ice water at Kagome's Cheshire grin. "That imagination of yours is going to get me into trouble one of these days. Honestly, you've got me playing poker in a bar in the red-light every week with a prostitute and a pawnshop owner. What more can you do to me?"

Kagome laughed, "Only time will tell."

* * *

At the end of Inuyasha's set, Kagome opened her purse and turned to the poker game. "Alright guys, I'm in."

Three pairs of eyes blinked at her in surprise. Kagome groaned, even the prostitutes were on to her. "Kagome," Sango was the one to take the bait "Inuyasha is going to be leaving soon. Are you not going to go after him?"

Kagome sighed "Maybe next week. I just need a bit of a break from the insults, you know?" She rubbed her hands together "so how much is ante?"

She carefully laid her money out on the table and took her cards after they were dealt. Kagome knew she needed to focus on the game to have even a fighting chance, but Inuyasha was distracting. He seemed to be dawdling up on stage, pulling out a cloth to polish his strings before carefully setting the guitar in its case. Though she had a dud hand, Kagome still called Miroku's open to stay in the game. She knew if she wasn't in, she would be back after Inuyasha, and her heart couldn't take it this week.

Still avoiding Kikyou's bedroom, Kagome had finally gotten around to packaging the guitars for sale. They were so beautiful. When the auctioneers had come to take them away, she couldn't help but let a few tears fall. This truly was the end of Kikyou. She wouldn't be gliding in from a gig in Paris like she did when they were younger. Her neat scrawl would never detail a letter to Kagome again.

And worse, it seemed that Kikyou had thought the same bad things about her that the rest of her family had. Though her elder sister had always been quick to reassure her that she did not share those feelings, it would seem it was just part of Kikyou's flawless manners and not the truth. Thinking about it made Kagome's stomach clench and her heart drop.

In this vulnerable state, she knew she was no match for Inuyasha. Especially now that he knew her weakness. So she would just play it cool for a while to get her strength back, and when she did, there would be hell to pay.

Even though she was mad, she couldn't give up on these Wednesday nights. Not only did she love to hear him play, but also she liked the camaraderie of the bar and she liked talking with Miroku. Although Sango had been kind enough to suggest skipping attendance this week entirely, Kagome rallied the courage to go.

Kagome was trying to decide if she should try to bluff her way out of this when a loud slam broke her concentration. When her startled gaze turned to the source, it had been Inuyasha slamming his case shut, snapping the clasps with much more force than necessary. Catching her gaze, he glared over at her from under the brim of his hat, his eyes oddly luminous in the dark of the bar. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and she felt drawn to him, like he was trying to summon her.

Clearing her throat, Kagome picked up her chair and turned it away from the stage, away from Inuyasha. She smiled at her fellow players, who looked nervous at Inuyasha's murderous gaze. Shrugging, she decided to give the bluff a shot and tossed her money in. When the backdoor to the bar slammed with Inuyasha's exit, Kagome didn't even flinch.

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me, Miroku." Kagome smiled gratefully at her companion "I wasn't sure where this address was and I was bit nervous going alone."

Miroku shrugged "Not a problem, Kagome. When another person came in to ask about the red guitar, I was most curious about it myself. He said he played a guitar exactly like the one in my shop."

"Well are you sure Inuyasha even made these guitars?" Kagome tapped her chin in thought with one hand, while the other tightly held the neck of the blue guitar. "Maybe he bought it from someone else." Kagome couldn't suppress her grin at the prospect. Dealing with someone, anyone, who wasn't Inuyasha was starting to sound like a wonderful idea.

Miroku looked doubtful "Inuyasha doesn't really talk to people and I can't see where he would even get the money to buy a guitar." Mirkou's smile turned suggestive "Besides, I'm glad you invited me. Any excuse to spend the day with a beautiful woman."

Kagome rolled her eyes "Oh please, like you have eyes for anyone but Sango these days."

Miroku looked surprised, then wistful "Ah, Sango. Such a delicate flower."

Kagome snorted "Yeah with fists of iron."

Miroku's response was cut short as the two heard the sounds of guitar coming from the park. Unlike Inuyasha's playing, this style had Spanish undertones, a flourish on the scales and an upbeat ring. Exchanging an excited looked, the pair hurried into the park to investigate.

A young man sat on a bench, playing his guitar with an open case for change. It did look a bit like the blue guitar. The distinct groves in the neck were present, and the roughness of the body indicated it was homemade. However it was in better shape than the blue guitar, and was still the soft, natural shade of the wood it was made from. Kagome knew they weren't of the same maker, however maybe this guy could still help her out.

When he finished playing they approached. Kagome dropped a few quarters in his case while Miroku offered his hand.

"Nicely played my good man." He stated jovially. The man looked surprised before shaking Miroku's hand. When his eyes turned to Kagome, they sharpened on her face, then on her guitar.

"What a beautiful woman with such an ugly guitar." He proclaimed, snatching one of Kagome's hands off the neck to clutch it between his own. "How on earth is someone like you involved with Mutt-face?"

Kagome looked over to Miroku and mouthed 'Mutt-face?' before turning to the other gentleman. "I'm sorry sir, I don't know a…uh…Mutt-face but we noticed that your guitar is similar to this blue guitar and my guitar is broken…" Kagome put on her best pleading face "Do you think you could fix it?"

"Drop the sir. Name's Kouga. You got a name sweetheart?" He leered at her, completely ignoring the guitar.

"Uh…Kagome…" she pointed to herself and then cursed her ineloquence. It wasn't her fault, this guy was pretty attractive and going after her with a surprising amount of force. "This is Miroku." Miroku waved at him pleasantly and Kouga glared at him before turning his full attention back to Kagome.

"How about you and I get out of here, Kagome?" Kouga kissed her hand gently and Kagome felt her face flush.

"Uh…well Kouga…I'm actually here about the guitar…" Kagome tried to keep focused on the task at hand. Miroku stepped closer to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She needed to stop getting so intimidated.

"Well, I don't really want to be fixing one of Inuyasha's guitars," He looked at the guitar thoughtfully before his gaze traveled across to fixate on her breasts "But if you gave me enough incentive, I may reconsider."

Kagome frowned and then sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere with Inuyasha, this guy might be her only chance. And if all she had to do was flirt with him a bit…she could be gone before he tries to collect his "payment".

Shrugging off Miroku's hand and forcing her gaze to turn coy, Kagome stepped closer to him. Kouga grinned roguishly. "You think you can fix it?" Kagome gave him what she hoped was an appraising eye "How can I be sure of your…skills…"

Kouga caught the innuendo "Honey, I'm the best there ever was." He licked his lips "If your guitar needs fixing, I'll be the man to do it for you."

Miroku intervened "Do you have a number where we can contact you? I think Kagome needs to think about this for a bit."

Kouga blinked as if just remembering he was there, before turning back to Kagome. He took a receipt out of his wallet and pulled a pen from his pocket. Scribbling on it for a minute, he took Kagome's hand he once held, kissed her palm, and then stuck the paper to it.

"Talk to you later, babe." He winked at Kagome, glared at Miroku, then shouldered his guitar case and walked out of the park.

* * *

"I don't think it's a very good idea Kagome." Sango dealt the cards out carefully, skipping Kagome as she decided it might be a good idea for her to watch and learn to play before jumping in again. Inuyasha was still fooling around with his guitar on stage but as long as she avoided eye contact, Kagome wasn't as tempted to go and speak with him.

"I'm frustrated Sango. Kouga might actually be able to do the job for me." Miroku sniggered after her comment, but Sango smacked him on the arm to shut him up "Things with Inuyasha aren't getting anywhere." She sunk her head down on her arms "At this rate I'm going to be here forever."

"I agree with Sango." Miroku declared magnanimously. Kagome rolled her eyes. Of course he sided with Sango. "That guy wasn't very trustworthy and I don't think Kikyou would want you going about it that way to get the guitar fixed."

Kagome sighed "I'm not actually going to do anything with him." She shrugged "Not that it would be all bad, he was quite good-looking." It had been awhile since she'd had sex anyways, not that she would admit that out loud. But a girl has needs…and if it could get the guitar fixed at the same time…

Kagome was drawn from her reverie by the sudden silence at the poker table. Kagome looked over at her friends only to see their gazes directed above her head. Turning slightly, Kagome came face to face with an angry Inuyasha.

"Had a run in with the wolf, did you little red?" He sneered. Gripping the back of the chair he put his face right up into hers "No one fixes my guitars but me."

Kagome refused to back down "Well you already refused to fix this one, so I found someone else." Feeling a bit ridiculous, she couldn't help but add, "You snooze, you lose."

Inuyasha grabbed her chair and dragged it backwards "Get in the truck."

"I don't have the guitar with me." Kagome gripped the table. What the hell was he doing? "Besides, how do I know you're not just going to leave me somewhere?"

Inuyasha kept pulling "I'll take you back to Kikyou's to get the guitar, just get in the truck."

"No!" Kagome clutched the table harder. "I don't trust you. Leave me alone."

He stopped pulling "You don't trust me?" his tone was quiet and hurt. It rose to outrage "Why wouldn't you trust me?"

Kagome stood and whirled on him "Are you serious? You led me to a town in the middle of nowhere. You threatened my life on a weekly basis. You called me every insult I have ever heard and made up a few of your own." She crossed her arms and sat down in her chair "Pardon me if I'm not leaping into your offered arms."

He growled at her and shoved the chair beside her harshly into the table. "Whatever bitch, I'm out of here. Have fun fucking that wolf. Kikyou would be so proud."

Inuyasha stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Kagome let her head fall to her hands. "I hate the blue guitar."

* * *

Kagome nervously checked her watch again. Why wasn't Inuyasha there? She looked over at Sango, who took her attention from her cards to shrug at Kagome. Miroku offered a comforting smile but no one had to say the obvious. Inuyasha wasn't going to play this week.

Kagome sighed. She needed something stronger than her usual today. Knocking back what was left of her drink, she wandered over to the bar to get herself a double.

"Rough night?" the bartender poured her drink with ease.

Kagome just sighed again in response.

"Your fella didn't show up huh?" He old man gave her an appraising look, "I called 'im. Not feeling well."

Kagome frowned. Admittedly she didn't know Inuyasha very well, but that didn't really sound like him. "Not feeling well?"

The bartender shrugged "Yeah. He sounded pretty lousy on the phone too. Horse as hell."

Kagome bit her lip. How could Inuyasha be sick? And moreover what on earth could have been so bad that he didn't show up? Unless…he was still mad? But that seemed rather childish, especially since he would probably rather intimidate and swear at her than give her the respite of not seeing him. "You said…you called him?"

The bartender looked casual but there was a distinct glimmer in his eye. "Yup."

Kagome let out a breath through pursed lips, hoping to dispel her frustration at his obscurity. "You know his phone number then?"

The bartender nodded "Yup."

Deciding to press her luck, Kagome gave him an imploring look "Do…you know his address?"

The bartender's lip twitched "Yup."

Kagome felt her heart start to race "Are you sure…it's real?"

The bartender's lip lifted in a ghost of a grin, "Yup. Been there."

Kagome braced her hands on the bar and leant towards him. "Could…I have it?"

The bartender shrugged. "I ain't giving it to ya."

Kagome's face fell.

He put down a napkin on the bar. It had an address and phone number written on it. "But if you happened to find it somewhere I left it…"

Kagome smiled, "How careless of you."

He shrugged, the small grin returning. He put a shot down on the napkin, "For luck."

Kagome knocked it back and took a deep breath. Her mind was screaming that this was a bad idea. That Inuyasha was a dangerous man who lived god knows where and she should definitely not be taking off to his house.

And with that voice still screaming at her, she clutched the napkin and walked back to her table. "I've found him."

The poker game stopped dead. "What are you going to do?" Sango looked surprised.

"I'm going to go to see him." Kagome scooped up her purse and put back on her jacket.

"Now?" Miroku started to stand but Kagome put out her hand to stay his movements.

"It's fine. You stay here and play." Sango, Miroku, and the working girl moved to protest this idea but Kagome remained resolute. "I think it would be best if I went alone."

Miroku fished in his pocket and handed her a slim mobile phone. "Hang on to this. Call Sango's cell if you need anything. We'll be right there."

Kagome smiled at her friends. "Thank you. Wish me luck!"

With worried faces, they all offered her good luck as she turned on her heel and marched out the door.

* * *

Kagome felt her head nod for the hundredth time in the long taxi ride to Inuyasha's. Though she'd been pumped with adrenaline after leaving the bar, her excitement had waned in the long journey. Continuously counting her money to make sure she had enough for the fare, Kagome tried to distract herself from how truly stupid this idea was. She always jumped into everything with two feet before looking down and one of these days it was going to land her in serious trouble. She hoped today was not the day.

After what seemed like hours of endless dark, the cab pulled in to a small driveway. Paying the hefty fare, even the cab driver seemed dubious about leaving a woman at this house.

There were no streetlights this far out in the country so the area was nearly pitch black and there was no moon to help light her way. Fishing in her purse for her keychain flashlight, Kagome carefully picked her way up Inuyasha's rough driveway. She put her hand on his rusty truck both to stabilize herself and to reassure herself she had the right place. At least the bartender hadn't sent her to visit his axe-murdering friend.

Reaching the ominous looking front door, Kagome gave it a sharp rap. "Inuyasha?" She peered into the dark of his house through the window. It didn't look like anyone was home.

After her third knock, Kagome was almost willing to concede defeat. That was until she shone her flashlight into his window and saw a man-shaped lump on the floor.

Gasping, Kagome jiggled the handle of his door, praying it was unlocked. Of course it wasn't, Inuyasha probably didn't even trust his own mother let alone anyone who could stumble upon his house. Saying a small prayer that Inuyasha wouldn't kill her for this, Kagome hefted up a rock from his garden and tossed it through his window. Wincing at the sound of broken glass, Kagome's heart dropped when the man-lump did not react to the crash.

Gingerly hopping through the window, Kagome stepped down onto his floor, treading carefully to read his side. She frowned when he became visible. This man had dark black hair and normal fingernails. She glanced around blindly in the dark. Where was Inuyasha?

Shrugging, Kagome turned him over carefully. In the small halo of her flashlight, Kagome peered at the face in shock. Using a finger to trace his features, Kagome couldn't believe her eyes. It was definitely Inuyasha. What the hell was going on here?

Inuyasha let out a small groan, turning his face towards her hand so his nose and lips were crushed against her palm. She felt him sniffle a bit. "…Kagome?"

The whisper was so horse and faint that were it not for the otherwise silence in the room, Kagome wouldn't have heard it. "Yeah, it's me."

"Oh. Good." He let out a small sigh before he started coughing, curling up on himself into a small ball.

Feeling awkward, Kagome patted him on the back cautiously, rubbing to bring him some comfort during the coughing spell. "Inuyasha," she shoved her curiosity to the background to focus on practical questions. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"Too much…to drink…" He turned his face towards her to give her a wry smile. With his full gaze on her face, Kagome felt her breath catch. Then she cursed herself. How could this asshole be laying on the floor, obviously drunk to the point of sickness, and still have the ability to leave her breathless?

He pushed himself up off the ground, Kagome helping him to rise. Once he staggered to his feet, she looped his arm over her shoulder and dragged him to his bedroom.

She tossed him on his bed and he let out of a small oomph. "You stay here, try to sleep it off." She shook her head as she watched him get comfortable. "How much did you drink?"

"Not that much." He coughed again "Fucking human body. So fucking weak."

"Human…what?" Kagome was beyond confused. He made no answer, only a small whining moan. He seemed distressed so Kagome sat on the side of his bed and pushed his long black hair away from his pallid face, trying to calm him. She tried not to think about the similarities to her last moments with Kikyou. "Get some rest."

"Will…you still be here in the morning?" He was staring at the opposite wall when he asked, his body rigid.

"Er…I guess…" Kagome hadn't honestly thought that far. Cursing her own stupidity again, she wondered if she even had enough money for the cab ride to Kikyou's.

"Promise?" He grumbled, sleep making his voice drowsy.

"Umm…" Kagome hoped she could withhold until he fell asleep. Would he even remember if she did promise? Why was she so tempted to not only give him her word, but keep it?

He grabbed her hand but did not turn to look at her. "Promise?" he prompted again.

"Okay, I promise." The words came out before Kagome really thought about it and she clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise.

Seeming satisfied, Inuyasha settled into a sleeping position, his breaths evening out and his body going lax. Kagome gingerly withdrew her hand from his hold, hoping he was in a deep enough sleep that it wouldn't wake him.

Unwilling to go snooping around while he was asleep, Kagome grabbed one of the displaced blankets off Inuyasha's bed and made it into a bit of a sleeping bag on the floor. Grumbling at her discomfort, she balled up a stray sweater into a pillow, stripped off her coat and shoes, and set down try to sleep.

* * *

Kagome awoke when the sun shone in her eyes, feeling groggy and disoriented. Sitting up quickly, then cursing herself for the head rush, Kagome investigated her foreign surroundings. She was in a very messy bedroom, clothes all over the place and an unmade bed. All signs pointed that she was still in Inuyasha's bedroom.

With a sigh she slumped back into her makeshift bed. Well at least he didn't kill her in her sleep. The disheveled bed was now empty and Kagome wondered if he had really been there at all. Maybe this was all some crazy dream and any minute now she would be naked in her high school. Maybe the blue guitar was only a figment of her imagination.

Pinching herself, she still found herself in this bedroom. Deciding that this must be reality, Kagome sighed and tried to figure out what to do now. Step one was probably to locate Inuyasha.

Luckily he did the work for her. Just as she had stood on unsteady legs to hunt him out, Inuyasha strolled through the open bedroom door, a pair of loose jeans on and toweling his silver hair.

"Er…good morning?" Kagome cautiously drew attention to herself. What was he doing walking around like that when she was here? Maybe if he saw her he would put a shirt on. It was much too early for her to see something like that and try to pay attention to whatever insults he was surely going to throw at her.

He looked over at her and shrugged "Whatever." He grabbed a random shirt and pulled it over his head. Now that Kagome could drag her gaze away from his chest, she stared at his head.

The return of the silver hair and gold eyes was surprisingly a bit of a relief. But what she was definitely not expecting was a pair of very cute, very pet-able looking dog-ears. "What the hell...?"

Inuyasha seemed to notice them at that moment too. A momentary flash of panic crossed his face before he sneered at her. "What of it?"

Judging by the hostility on his face, loudly squealing and lunging for the ears was probably not the best reaction. So Kagome decided to try to play it cool. "Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing?" He glared at her, his teeth set to reveal a set of very pointy fangs "Aren't you going to fucking ask about them?"

"Um…" Kagome was puzzled. What to ask exactly? 'What the fuck are you' would probably not go over well.

"So what, I'm a half-demon, bitch." He gave her a snide grin "I'm still a million times stronger than a pathetic human like you."

She still looked confused and that seemed to irritate Inuyasha "You got something to fucking say? Cause if you do, go on ahead and say it."

"How…interesting" She winced at her lame answer. What did it really matter if he was a half-demon anyways? His being an asshole was really the problem. "Demons are very rare these days, Hanyou even more so."

"Interesting? Interesting!" He crossed the room to get in her face "What the fuck is the matter with you?"

"Me?" She'd had it with him and his temper "What the fuck is the matter with you?" she poked her index finger into her chest "I show up and you're laying on the floor like a dead man, then you don't look like yourself, then you pull some weird shit making me promise to stay here, then you show up without a shirt on, then you have dog ears." By the end of her tirade, she had gotten rather shrill and Inuyasha's ears were pressed to his head "I think, given the circumstances, that I am doing rather well."

An awkward silence followed where neither looked at the other. Deciding that this fighting wasn't getting her any closer to a fixed blue guitar, Kagome sighed and tried again. "How are you feeling?"

He blinked at her in surprise and then glared again "Fine. Fuck off."

Kagome rolled her eyes at his response, "Well I have to be getting back to the city. Big day today and all." She stretched with a yawn before looking around. "You got a phone?"

"Why?" He shuffled from foot to foot, looking awkward.

Figuring he was uncomfortable with a conversation devoid of insults, Kagome decided to throw him a line "To call for a ride back, stupid."

"You're the one who's stupid." He scoffed "What do you need a ride back for? I'll take you back."

"You'll take me back in the truck?" Kagome was thunderstruck. Was he going to drive her back?

"Why? Don't want to be seen with the Half-demon during the day?" his lip curled to reveal a shiny fang.

Kagome rolled her eyes. Clearly this was a soft spot, but why was beyond her. Though he had been handsome last night, he was beautiful when he looked like this. Sharp. Wild. Masculine. Strangling a blush, Kagome tried to summon her feelings of irritation to help her get through this. "I was surprised an arrogant asshole like you would even consider it."

He shrugged and walked out of the bedroom and into the equally messy living room where he grabbed his fedora. When he saw the broken window, he turned to her with anger written all over his face. Before he could start what she was sure would be a very colourful and insulting tirade, Kagome cut him off. "I had to get in somehow. You should have seen yourself. You didn't even move when I broke the window!" She was surprised at the note of concern in her voice. It was just stupid Inuyasha, what did she care if he was dead?

"Keh." He hopped out the window in one fluid motion, leaving Kagome staring in awe. "C'mon wench. No need to use the door, thanks to you."

Sighing in defeat, Kagome clutched her jacket tighter and carefully stepped through the glass debris and out of the window.

"Took ya long enough." Inuyasha popped his hat on and shoved his hands in his pockets before walking towards the driveway. When he completely bypassed the truck, Kagome blinked in surprise before racing to catch up to him.

"We're not taking the truck?" She frowned. Was he going to make her hitchhike?

"Nope. Broken down." He gave her a grin that was almost mischevious "Guess we'll have to find another way." He said nothing else until they reached the road, where he promptly knelt down on one knee and showed her his back. His arms reached back to form a bit of a cradle. Kagome stared at him. That pose was familiar as she'd made it herself to give Souta a ride. He had to be kidding.

She asked him as much. He rolled his eyes and stayed in position. "Hop on, wench."

Throwing a glance heavenward to wonder what she had done to deserve this. She hoped Kikyou was watching and having a great old time at poor Kagome's expense. Why was nothing ever normal with this guy?

She carefully climbed onto his back and he stood easily. He hefted her around for a minute like a sack of potatoes before he had her weight properly distributed. "You weigh a ton, bitch. You should lose a few pounds."

Kagome pulled a bit of his hair in retaliation. He growled at her. "Shut up, dog-boy. If I weigh so much then let me down." She wiggled for him to set her down but he just smirked and kicked off into a run. The speed of his gait startled Kagome and she wrapped her arms around his neck for fear of falling off.

And then they were airborne. Inuyasha leapt from the asphalt of the highway to the branches of the nearby trees, Kagome feeling the powerful shift of his muscles at every jump. Adjusting carefully, Kagome settled into a comfortable spot to survive her trip on the Inuyasha-express.

It was like they were flying. Tightening her hold on Inuyasha and turning her face to the wind, Kagome couldn't help but let out an exhilarated laugh. The trip to the city couldn't take long enough.


	6. A man that plays a blue guitar

Finally Chapter 5 is up! I apologize for the huge delay, school got crazy and I wasn't sure where I was going with this chapter. If you haven't had a chance, check out The Last Girl and a new one shot I'm posting in a few minutes called Corinthains 13:4.

Not much to say, please read and enjoy. Drop me a line to let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor The Man with the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens

* * *

_I cannot bring a world quite round,  
Although I patch it as I can._

_I sing a hero's head, large eye  
And bearded bronze, but not a man,_

_Although I patch him as I can  
And reach through him almost to man._

_If to serenade almost to man  
Is to miss, by that, things as they are,_

_Say that it is the serenade  
Of a man that plays a blue guitar._

* * *

When Inuyasha began to lose speed, Kagome opened her eyes that she had closed at some point on their journey. She blinked a few times to clear the wind-induced tears before she glanced around in confusion.

"Inuyasha…" He inclined his head a bit to show he had heard her as he strolled through the light forest. "I thought you were taking us to Kikyou's?"

"Keh, idiot." He jostled her a bit and she squeezed him hard around the middle with her legs in retaliation. He stumbled a step before recovering and pinching her leg. "I did."

As they moved out of the forest and into a small subdivision, Kagome's breath caught hard in her throat. It really had been a long time since she had been here if she didn't recognize the ravine that her childhood home had backed on to. What the hell were they doing there?

"Please Inuyasha, let's go." Kagome panicked, they had to get out of here before she saw her old house. There was a reason she never came around here anymore.

He ignored her and kept walking. When she writhed to try to get him to put her down, he just tightened his hold on her legs and picked up the speed of his walk. "I'm trying to take you home, bitch. Just calm the fuck down."

"You don't understand!" Kagome pulled at his arms, uncaring if she looked ridiculous in her desperation. "Kikyou doesn't live here any…more…" Words failed her as Inuyasha stopped outside her old family home. His arms slackened and she slid off his back to stare rigidly and mutely beside him.

The world was oddly silent as she stared at her former home. It was still the soft ivory house she remembered, the shutters painted a soft green by the new owners. Though being here should have been painful for Kagome, there were no tears. There was no sadness. Only an empty void seated deep in her chest, sucking up all her emotions and leaving her feeling hollow and numb. She almost felt asleep, detached from the reality of the fact that her home was now someone else's home. This would never be home again.

A shaking of her clammy hand brought her tumbling back to reality.

"…gome?" Inuyasha was staring at her with what could have been mistaken as concern. Seeing she had returned to him, he glared at her "What the hell is the matter with you, bitch?"

Kagome took a shaky breath, turning to face him so as to keep the house out of her view. "Kikyou doesn't live here anymore."

"Technically Kikyou doesn't _live_ anywhere." Inuyasha snorted at his morbid joke. Kagome felt so wilted that she could not even summon indignation or frustration at his poor humour.

"She moved not long after the accident. She said it wasn't worth the upkeep costs to keep the house and moved in to an apartment." Kagome hoped if she kept this detached, she wouldn't think about the house. However trying not to think about something typically caused one to think about it more.

Unable to help herself, she turned back to stare at it. A new swing hung from the large tree in the front yard. She wondered if the new people had painted over their height markers in the kitchen doorway. Souta's last marker had only reached Kagome's waist. 'One day I'll be taller.' He had boasted 'Then I'll mess up your hair and call _you_ squirt!' Or if they fixed the squeaky stair, the one she had carefully avoided when sneaking home from being out with her boyfriend too late. Perhaps they had recarpeted the living room where her mother told her was a disgrace she was. Or finally gotten rid of the crab grass her father complained about. Or replaced the baseboard in Kikyou's bedroom where the two young girls had rebelliously carved their initials, giggling at their daring.

Inuyasha shook her again, returning her to reality once more. "Quit doing that! What, is something in the air making you go crazy?"

She smiled ruefully "Something like that."

When she started to turn back to stare at the house again, Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street. "C'mon, I don't have all day to get you home. Some of us have something important to do."

Now that there was distance between her and that house, Kagome felt herself returning "And what does the great Inuyasha have to do today?" She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Anything that doesn't involve you." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him in response and he blinked in surprise, his lip momentarily curling up in what could have been amusement.

"I'm not the one who led us to the wrong place, dog-boy." Feeling oddly playful, Kagome bat her eyelashes at him "Trying to get me alone?"

Surprisingly, he blushed for a moment before recovering "Nah. You're the one who delivered yourself to me in the middle of the night. If anyone's looking for it, it's you."

"Ew." Kagome squealed in disgust "I think one of Kikyou's neighbour's has a poodle. She might be more your type."

Inuyasha's growl was decidedly less playful after that response and Kagome could have hit herself for poking at such a sensitive nerve, even if it was just for fun. Figuring his mood had definitely deteriorated, she decided to stick to business. "Kikyou's flat is the penthouse for one of those newly renovated historic buildings. You know, by the park with all the oak trees?"

Inuyasha looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, let's get this over with." He turned his back to her and without delay Kagome was properly situated back on.

"You know," she twirled a strand of his hair "a girl could get used to this."

He abruptly swung his body to the side, upsetting her balance and causing her chest to thump against his back harshly, stealing her breath. "Don't get too comfortable, bitch. This is the only time we're ever going to do this."

Oh, how they both hoped that wasn't true.

* * *

Inuyasha landed carefully on the roof of Kikyou's building, barely disturbing Kagome's balance on his back. She looked up dazedly from where her chin rested on his shoulder, disbelief at how they had gotten there so quickly clear on her face. Shaking herself, she instructed Inuyasha "Kikyou lives on the top floor. If you can get us to the ground, we can take the elevator back up so I can get us in the door."

Inuyasha took a few sniffs in the air before tightening his hold on her legs and walking over to the lip of the roof. "Why bother?" he smirked and then stepped off, falling neatly into Kikyou's balcony without even looking down.

Kagome slid off his back with a grateful sigh, her legs wobbling with uncertainty when they had to hold her weight again. She leaned against the railing of the balcony, trying to get her beating heart under control. It could have been the speed of the trip, or the exhilaration of flying across the city, but Kagome knew it was something else. Turning back to face that 'something else,' Kagome was surprised to find him already inside, a distinct claw shaped groove in the sliding door's lock.

"Hey!" She raced in after him, closing the door behind her "You can't just invite yourself…in…"

Her tirade was lost when she got a good look at his face. He gazed around Kikyou's bedroom with a quiet sadness, a weight that crushed any anger out of Kagome. He walked in a small circle, eyes never still as he took in what remained of her deceased sister. Inuyasha walked over to her dresser and fingered a faded red ribbon she had tied to a jewelry box. "Kikyou…" his voice so soft it would have been lost if there was any other sound in the room.

Feeling a bit like a voyeur, and her heart aching a touch too smartly from visiting one too many ghosts, Kagome moved to leave him alone in the room.

"You haven't been in this room, have you?" Inuyasha's voice halted her in her tracks. "Kikyou's dead. There's no sense keeping this place like a creepy shrine to her."

Kagome kept her back to him. "I…didn't feel comfortable coming here. It's still Kikyou's…"

Inuyasha snorted and walked by her, brushing her shoulder as he passed "Pathetic. C'mon wench, do you have any food here or are you trying to starve me?"

Kagome shook from her stupor and charged after him down from the loft of the bedrooms through the livingroom to the kitchen. There she found him rooting through the cupboards. Apparently he wasn't leaving any time soon. "Inuyasha," he didn't look up. Kagome sighed, "I'm going to take a shower. Don't burn the house down."

He made a muffled sound of assent that Kagome could barely understand over the clattering of pans. She winced at the mess he was probably making before strolling her way over to the bathroom.

Once the door was securely locked, Kagome stripped down and cranked the water. When she pulled off her coat, Miroku's cell phone clattered out of her pocket and she cursed her own stupidity. She could have just called a cab with that! Although, the alternative form of transportation had definitely been interesting.

While waiting for the hot water to kick in, she looked at herself in the mirror. Most notably, the light bruises on her thighs where Inuyasha's fingers had pressed a touch too hard. Their configuration suggested little about a piggyback ride and insinuated exercise of a much more sexual nature. Kagome blushed.

She touched the bruises tentatively, her slim fingers not able to span the distance his larger hands had done. In the sanctuary of the hot shower she could delve into the alluring fantasy of Inuyasha as a lover. Here she could linger on the image of his bare chest, on the feel of his muscular torso shifting between her legs, on the sensation of his fine silver hair sliding across her face. She could wonder if she would taste his smirk when she kissed him, if those fingers would be rough on her soft skin, if his hands would be as talented with her as they were with the guitar. Oh yes, she was curious what kind of lover he would be.

Before she could even entertain the notion of finding out for herself, she remembered the woman who already knew the answer: Kikyou. The thought formed as she was stepping out of the shower and the wave of jealousy that hit her was strong enough to make her steps falter. Catching herself on the counter, Kagome sighed and dried herself off. In the cold of the bathroom reality returned to her. She knew that out here she hated Inuyasha and he hated her. That was never going to change.

* * *

Refreshed, Kagome decided she was finally ready to deal with Inuyasha again. The kitchen was silent when she returned to it, though the contents of just about every drawer was spilled everywhere. Listening carefully, Kagome could hear no trace of Inuyasha in the proximity. Taking five minutes to do a quick clean up, mainly by pushing things back into the drawers where they belonged, she ventured out into the rest of the apartment to find the missing guitarist.

She found him on her first try. It looked almost like he was meditating in the room that used to house Kikyou's guitars. He was sitting cross-legged and still in the centre of the empty room, his eyes closed and his face expressionless. In his lap he cradled the blue guitar, which looked as shabby and forlorn as ever. One ear twitched when she entered the room but Inuyasha made no other motion as she quietly shut the door behind her. She slid down the wall to wait, understanding he was doing something and she should not interfere.

"It's broken alright." He said, not even opening his eyes. "Kikyou sure did a number on it." He chuckled mirthlessly, "Figures."

Just as she opened her mouth to ask him about his falling out with her sister, his eyes opened and he focused on her and her now gaping mouth. "I'll fix it."

"What?" Did she hear him correctly? Finally, after weeks of badgering, did he give in?

"I said I'd fix it." He ran his palm over the curve of the guitar fondly. "It ain't going to be cheap though."

"Oh?" Why wasn't Kagome surprised? Mentally she ran through the various bank account figures she knew. When Inuyasha told her his price, her jaw dropped. "Are you completely insane?"

His lip twitched. "That's my price. Take it or leave it."

Kagome grumbled and tapped her lips in thought. She could afford it, though it would clean her out significantly. But more than anything she didn't want to give in to this bastard. What did he need that money for anyway? Maybe he would use it to pay a maid to clean up his god-awful house.

"I'll make you a deal." Thinking on the mess of Inuyasha's house had given her an idea. "How about instead, I clean up your house and we call it even." Then she wouldn't have to pay him a cent and it would only take a couple days, a week max.

She mentally cheered when he seemed to be considering the idea. "No Way." He frowned "Unless…you have to clean my house once a week, do the laundry, and cook me meals every day." He nodded to himself, as if that was considered a wise deal.

"What?" She was seething "No way!" Pinching the bridge of her nose, thinking of how to barter him down, she saw the stubborn set of his jaw. Well, it had been a stupid idea anyways. "Okay, I'll pay you the money."

He looked surprised, and then narrowed his gaze on her "Fine. You only have to cook 3 days a week. I don't have many clothes, the laundry is a pinch."

She blinked, was he not listening to her? "I said I'd give you the money."

"I don't want your money." He snorted, "I want…the deal is that either you work for me and I fix the guitar, or nothing."

Kagome looked for an escape and saw no alternatives. Well, there was always Kouga…no, she was a mature woman and she could deal with Inuyasha for long enough to get the guitar fixed. "I can only come out to your house on the days I don't work at the café."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Whatever, we can work that out. You work for me when you're free until I say that you can go. Do we have a deal?"

Well when he said it like that, it definitely didn't sound like a good idea. He held out his clawed hand and the oddly hopeful look on his face clenched Kagome's heart. She didn't even notice that she reached out in return to shake his hand until she felt his warm dry palm close around hers. His hands were rough, like she expected, and their large size made her feel comfortable and curiously secure.

They stared at each other, hands connected and barely breathing. When Inuyasha came back to himself, he pulled his hand away quickly and stood, clutching the blue guitar. "I've got to get going. Better things to do than sit around with a crazy wench."

Seeing that he meant to take off with the blue guitar, Kagome stood and grabbed his arm "Don't take that." She snatched it back and held it close to her. "The guitar is mine and it stays with me."

He looked confused "That guitar used to be mine. Technically Kikyou stole it from me, so technically you're holding on to stolen property." He held out a hand to take it "Give me back the guitar, bitch."

"No." She held it tighter. "How do I know you're not going to smash it when I'm not there."

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath through his nose "Trust me, Kagome. I'm going to fix the guitar. We have a deal."

She eyed him speculatively for a moment. The blue guitar was her last chance to prove she wasn't useless. She could get Kikyou's guitar fixed. If Inuyasha messed this up for her…but though his face betrayed nothing but steadily growing annoyance, she knew he meant it.

Wordlessly she extended the guitar from him and he swiped it from her. "When's the next day you work?"

Kagome considered it "Tomorrow. I'm off the day after."

"Saturday it is." Inuyasha pushed the fedora back on his head and walked out of the room. Kagome trailed after him. "I'll be coming to get you early, so be ready. And no funny business." He pushed open the door to her bedroom and walked to her window. Pushing open the window and perching precariously on the sill, he looked back at her. Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something else, closed it, muttered "See ya" and took off into the afternoon sky.

Kagome rested a head in her hands on the sill and sighed before turning to her room and letting out of a frustrated scream. An indentured servant to the man she hated most? What the hell was she thinking?

* * *

"An indentured servant to Inuyasha?" Sango stared at her in shock. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Kagome sighed "Apparently I wasn't." She took a sip of her warm cider and mulled it around in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. "You didn't see his face Sango. When I came up with that crazy deal it was like, like I had offered him a meal when he had been starving for ages." She fiddled with the lid of her take away cup. "I can't even explain it. I just had to say yes."

Sango smiled in understanding from her position next to Kagome on the park bench. She took a sip of her coffee and stared out at the trees that dotted the park landscape. "Well if you're sure…" Sango shrugged "Besides, it's not like you signed anything. Oral oaths don't hold up for much in court, so if you take off, there's nothing he can legally do."

Kagome smiled "Thank you for you counsel Miss Adachi." Sango stuck out her tongue at her "But I feel a bit better paying for it this way. Now it's my hard work that will get the guitar fixed, not Kikyou's money, not my parents' money. It's my responsibility, Sango."

Sango nodded "I'm sure you will get the guitar fixed Kagome." She made a face "And I'm sure it will be hard work. I worry what a man like Inuyasha will do with you at his bidding. I would never, ever in a hundred years make such a deal with Miroku." Both women shuddered at the thought of what the pervert might think up.

"Well I guess I'll find out tomorrow." Kagome bit the rim of her cup nervously "I hope there aren't too many bugs around that pig sty. I'm terrified of them."

Sango laughed and Kagome mock-pouted before giving her friend a light sock on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it." Sango snorted "I'm sure Inuyasha will protect you."

* * *

That night Kagome packed up her bag for the following day with care, making sure to bring herself some chocolate for a quick pick-me-up and a few bottles of water. That far out in the country, who even knew what Inuyasha drank? She also packed Miroku's cell phone, glad to have it for the time being in case anything happened. Not that she was too worried, Inuyasha had proven to be harmless thus far. Well, physically anyways.

She leaned back on her heels, biting her thumbnail with nerves. It didn't all feel like anxiety though, Kagome was certain amidst the churning of fear was the distinct flutter of a butterfly wing. Could she really be…excited to spend the whole day with Inuyasha? Shrugging, she gingerly got to her feet and exited her room with the intent on brushing her teeth then heading to bed. Upon entering the hallway, she noticed Kikyou's door still lay ajar.

Taking a nervous glance around, Kagome hesitantly approached the doorway, lightly pushing the door further so she could enter the room. The room was dusty from the time Kagome had been there and not cleaned it. All the articles of the room were still neatly arranged, like Kikyou still lived there. Kagome remembered her sister's room, always clean.

Sitting on the edge of her sister's bed, Kagome pondered how on earth Kikyou had known Inuyasha. The pieces were barely coming together; the only article unifying them so far was the blue guitar. Not having the heart to do a better investigation, Kagome gave the room a mild sweep of her gaze for anything interesting. When she saw a family photo on the dresser, her heart stopped. Approaching it slowly, she snatched it off the dresser when she was close enough and stared at it.

And it hurt. Somewhere she had forgotten it could hurt. Dead. They were all dead. Her legs gave way and she fell to the carpet, the picture clutched to her chest. The emotional turmoil of the past few days had caught up to her. The memories of her home, her brother, her sister were all too much. She didn't remember how long she spent sitting there staring at it. She didn't remember when she started crying. She didn't remember falling asleep. But she does remember the dreams.

* * *

Her neck ached when she woke up, blinking blearily around trying to figure out what exactly had snapped her out of her dreams. The mystery didn't last long.

"Oi Bitch." She focused her eyes on Inuyasha, standing over her with a frown on his face "What the hell are you doing? I told you to be ready for the morning."

Still feeling disoriented, Kagome squinted to make out the time on Kikyou's delicate clock. When she read it, she felt the irritation build. "This isn't morning! Are you crazy?" She stood carefully, clutching her head as she ascended with no help from Inuyasha. "Go away. Come back when the sun comes out."

"Nope. Your day starts now." He hauled her out of Kikyou's bedroom down towards her own. She scooped up the backpack she had left in the door as he ushered her over to the window. "Get up on the sill so you can get on my back."

Mind still too fuzzy to figure out how this would work, Kagome clambered carefully up on the ledge and turned to face him. When he gave her a hard shove out the window, she let out and ear splitting scream. And worse, rather than being scared, she was angry. If that jackass was just going to kill her, couldn't he have waited for a decent hour?

"Jesus Christ Kagome, trying to wake up the neighbourhood?" The air left her lungs as he caught her in his arms mid-fall. He carefully directed their landing to the alley beside her building and set her down. As soon as her feet touched the pavement, she was punching him.

"Are you insane! I could have died, you idiot!" A few more punches and she was out of energy, instead her fists latched on to the front of his shirt to hold her steady while her legs shook a bit in residual fear. Though she'd only been in the air an instant, the aftershocks of the fear still held on hard.

"You're the idiot. Of course I wasn't going to let you fall." He turned his back to her and crouched. The simplicity of her statement made her smile a bit, a lightness crowding out the fear and sadness, rejuvenating her better than any cup of coffee. As she jumped on Inuyasha's back and he adjusted her weight, she hugged him tighter than necessary around the shoulders. Inuyasha gave no reaction but his clawed hands gripped her thighs just a bit more securely as he took off in a run.

* * *

If it was possible, his house looked even shabbier in the daylight. It was a small bungalow, once a respectable white colour but the paint had faded with age. The shingles of the roof still looked sound, but some were a different colour from the others, hinting at repairs made with only the available materials. The rusty truck still sat in the gravel driveway, a trailer containing a skidoo covered by a tarp holding the place of honour beside it. As Kagome made her way up the dirt path to his front door, she noticed the broken window had been neatly repaired. Clearly he took some pride in his house.

After Inuyasha unlocked his door, Kagome trailed in after him. Standing in the foyer she surveyed the damage. A light sniff told her there was nothing rotting around, and judging by Inuyasha's heightened senses, he wouldn't have allowed a bad smell to persist. Clutter, on the other hand, seemed to be his forte. The usual male debris littered the floor, namely socks and various articles of clothing. There were also an incredible number of empty ramen packages, as well as various papers and wrappers.

When Kagome's incredulous expression met Inuyasha's gaze, he had the decency to blush. To cover his embarrassment, he settled for being annoyed. "Quit your gaping and get to work." He huffed and turned to walk out of the room. "I want this room cleaned before you can leave for today." With no further instructions he marched back out the front door, letting it slam on his way out.

Kagome surveyed the damage again with a more critical eye. Well, it wasn't a total write off. She quickly formulated a plan and got to work, arranging the debris in categories. To amuse herself, she created a 'ramen package' area, which quickly became a mountain as she worked. Was that all this guy ate? No wonder he wanted her to cook for him.

She worked robotically, not really thinking about what she was doing and just doing it. A tune wormed its way into her head and she hummed it while she worked. At some point Inuyasha came in, toting a small toolbox and the blue guitar. He situated himself in a kitchen chair and started working.

"You really shouldn't work on that in here." Kagome reprimanded, dumping a pile of old junk mail into a garbage bag with a woosh. "You're getting wood bits all over the floor with your sanding."

Inuyasha looked down between his legs as if just not realizing what a mess it made. "Feh." He went back to working "You can vacuum it up later."

Kagome growled at him in frustration but went back to work, wondering if she should just smash the blue guitar over his head for what it was worth. But a deal was a deal. They worked in silence for a while, only the occasional hum from Kagome or curse from Inuyasha punctuating the dead silence only heard in a country home. Come to think of it, Kagome took a more careful glance around, there was no technology here to speak of. Only an old rotary phone perched precariously on a pile of books.

Shaking her head, Kagome moved to pick up what looked like another pile of junk mail. As she was about to put it in the bag, her eye caught what was unmistakably Kikyou's name. Quickly she turned it over to find it was musical notation paper, though the notation was not anything she understood. There was no clef, no key signature, only an array of notes written with a quick hand and one word, "Kikyou", written at the top. Shuffling through the other papers in the pile, she only found more indecipherable notation, and it grew increasingly complex as she worked through the pages.

This was Inuyasha's songbook. She was surprised he had even written it down, for at the club he always played by memory. Some of the songs had names, most of them vague. Kagome went back to looking at "Kikyou" and wondered if this was the song he played every set, if this was the song her sister had played when she was learning. Sure enough, hidden between Inuyasha's scribbling was a couple regular notes made to textbook perfection. These few bars were in Kikyou's neat notation, looking oddly formal and standardized compared to Inuyasha's bizarre markings. Had Kikyou been teaching Inuyasha how to write music?

Had…Inuyasha taught Kikyou to play?

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. That was how they met: the guitar. Inuyasha had been Kikyou's mysterious tutor, the one her mother had always begged to meet. Kikyou had started playing with a regular teacher at the conservatory, but after a few lessons she decided she didn't like it and quit. Thus her old guitar fell to Kagome, who took up conservatory lessons with her usual congenial attitude, wanting to be good but not obsessed enough to be the best. Then one day Kikyou came home, begging for a new guitar. And Kikyou had never begged for anything.

Of course her parents bought their darling a new, beautiful rosewood guitar. And so Kikyou disappeared every night after school and reappeared with a beautiful new tune to amaze her family with. Her first recording was of those songs and they were what made her famous. Many critics thought no other songs she played since were ever quite as good.

And those had been Inuyasha's songs. Now that she had some answers, they only seemed to generate more questions. How had they met? Why did Inuyasha decide to teach Kikyou? Why did Kikyou break the blue guitar?

Inuyasha had noticed her lack of movement and came wandering over to see what had distracted her. "Whatcha got there, bitch?"

Speechless from her latest revelation, Kagome handed him the sheet music. His face paled as if he had seen a ghost. "Heh. I haven't seen this in ages." He took the sheets from her carefully, holding them with reverence. He stared at them in wonder for a moment before crumpling them up and throwing them at her. "I told you to get rid of all this shit, bitch. Do your job, unless you really are as useless as Kikyou said you were."

Kagome winced and picked up the crumpled notation, "Why would you want to get rid of it? The songs sound beautiful, don't you want to remember them?"

Inuyasha looked startled and then glared at her "Feh. I don't need to write them down to remember. I'm not a dumb bitch." He turned tail and strolled back over to his kitchen chair, reclaiming the blue guitar and getting back to work.

Kagome sighed and gave the balls of paper a considering look. Making sure Inuyasha wasn't looking, she stuffed the sheets into her backpack. If he didn't want them, she certainly did. Feeling satisfied that she had at least once piece of the missing puzzle that was Inuyasha and Kikyou's relationship, Kagome indulged herself in singing Kikyou's Song when she began picking up socks to go in the laundry. Her steps faltered when Inuyasha quietly joined in, though when she sneaked a glance over at his concentrating face, he didn't seem to be aware he was doing it. Strangely overjoyed by this development, Kagome sang louder, a small skip in her step and she navigated the livingroom. When Inuyasha's hand moved to play a countermelody, he seemed to become aware of what was happening and he looked angry again.

Before he could yell at her for whatever he had dreamed up against her, his stomach rumbled and cut him off. Kagome couldn't help a giggle at his embarrassed face as she stretched her arms out. "I take it you're ready for lunch?"

His blush darkened and he averted his face. "Whatever."

Kagome just laughed and patted him on the head as she walked by. Entering the kitchen, she tossed a wink at him over her shoulder. Maybe this would be more fun than she thought.

* * *

It was a tired and dirty Kagome that slumped down on the carpet in Inuyasha's livingroom a few hours later. The sun was setting and bathed the small room in a grayish glow, leaving long shadows on the floor and the walls. Inuyasha had left the house after lunch and only appeared for a quick dinner before taking off to wherever he went. Lying on the floor, Kagome found she didn't much care. She felt immaterial, floating on the ambiguity of those hours between night and day.

She wondered if she had fallen asleep when she heard it, the faint strumming of a guitar. It…called to her somehow. Tugged on her heartstrings the same way the player thrummed out the chords. Unable to resist, Kagome stumbled after the sound, her footsteps silent on the floorboards and she crept towards its source.

Inuyasha sat outside on the long grass behind his house, facing out to the woods and where the sun was dying behind the trees. Kagome couldn't see the guitar, but she could watch the interplay of the strong muscles in his arms has the piloted his fingers along the strings. This song, though expertly played, felt awkward and unsure with its frequent key changes and unusual syncopations. It sounded like confusion.

An odd twang sound punctuated the end of the phrase and was followed by more of Inuyasha's cursing. Apparently the blue guitar was not quite fixed. Kagome pushed open the rickety screen door to join him outside, plopping down next to him on the cool grass.

"Hey." She leaned back on her hands to stare up at the sky. The grey was receding into the darkness of night, stars pushing through the haze to shine clearly overhead. "Sounds good. Almost fixed?"

When she turned to look at him she caught him staring at her face and he quickly averted his gaze. "Nah. Something's wrong with it and I can't figure it out." He gave the low E an expert tug and it rang a tinny note. "I'm out of barbed wire to fix this one. It will have to wait a bit until I can get some more."

He stood and surprisingly offered a hand out to her. "It isn't done yet. 'Fraid you're not that lucky, bitch." She took his hand and he hoisted her up. "Since you're out here slacking with me, I assume that means you're done in the livingroom."

She gave him a weary nod that he missed because he was already moving through the door to review her progress. He gave it a thorough inspection, lifting couch cushions and opening drawers before returning to her. "It's alright, wench. I could have done a better job, but I guess for a lazy bitch, you did alright."

Too tired to glare, she gave him an empty nod. He gave her a careful look before sighing and falling into a crouch. This time when they were airborne, Kagome was too fatigued to resist the urge and she buried her face in his long mane, cuddling close to his neck.

Inuyasha misstepped and nearly sent them tumbling off the roof. "Oi bitch." He growled, but seemed to have nothing further to say after that.

Kagome mumbled an "Okay…" before relaxing further, her slack body draped over his back while she kept her gaze forward, watching the world fly by.

* * *

Only two days later, Kagome was nearly done the macro scale cleaning of Inuyasha's house. Having done the kitchen and bathroom yesterday, she was left with the room she had been dreading most: his bedroom. It was awkward, to say the least, to root around in the bedroom of a man you barely knew. After doing his laundry for a few days, she was already used to handling his underwear and mucking about in his belongings, but people kept their most personal items in their bedrooms. With a man like Inuyasha, who knew what she was going to find?

It was under Inuyasha's bed that she found it. She should have known not to open it, after all, wasn't it opening a box that got Pandora into all that trouble. Figuring it would be filled with old receipts or some other boring articles, Kagome had not hesitated to pop open the innocuous looking shoe box. Once she opened the cover, she realized her mistake.

Sitting on top of a pile of opened envelopes was a beautiful picture of her sister when she was in high school. Kikyou's face held a gentle smile, one that Kagome knew only appeared when she was at her happiest. Her hand was raised in the photo, the red lines marking the tips of each digit clear proof that she had been learning to play from Inuyasha. Did that mean…these letters were their history? Was Kikyou really so soppy as to exchange…love notes?

Eager to know for herself, Kagome opened the latest dated envelope and looked inside.

'_My dear Inuyasha_,

_I hope this letter finds you well. I am concerned that I have not heard from you since our last meeting. I have been quite busy recording. I know you understand._

_I have something I must confess to you. I know I promised to not reveal you as the composer of my songs but I have included your name in the liner notes of the tracks. I do not feel right not giving you credit for your work. You deserve to be famous Inuyasha, even if you claim to not want it. How could you not want to be remembered through history? How could you not want to be immortal?_

_About what we discussed earlier, attached you will find a card for a doctor in the city. Dr. Suikotsu is well known for his cosmetic work and has assured me that he can have you looking completely normal with only a few minor surgeries. Just think of it, you and I would travel together. I would no longer be alone, but with you by my side. You, no longer estranged from the world, rather glorified and exalted by the highest echelons of society. Think about it my Inuyasha, you can be rid of your family curse. You would be free to be with me._

_Reply to this letter soon, I am awaiting your response._

_Love,_

_Kikyou_'

Kagome blinked in surprise. Kikyou had wanted Inuyasha to become famous so that he could be with her. And apparently that required him to change his entire appearance. A few minor surgeries indeed! Kagome felt indignation rise like bile in the back of her throat. Why was Kikyou always trying to change people, trying to make them be perfect? Some people weren't perfect and you loved them anyways!

So involved in her ire, Kagome didn't hear Inuyasha enter the room. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Kagome was so startled she jumped, spilling the contents of the box all over the floor. Inuyasha stomped over towards her, rage filling his expression and causing his hands to shake. "You! What are you snooping through?" He saw the photo on the ground and if anything it made him angrier. "Nosy bitch. Think you can just go through anything?"

Kagome tried to reason with him "Well technically I have to…"

He cut her off. "Me and Kikyou ain't none of your business." He sighed and recollected all the articles that had fallen on the floor. When he saw the letter was open, and moreover that she was holding it in her hand, his expression became murderous.

He snatched it from her, his claws careless in his haste. She gasped as the letter left her grasp. Her hand automatically went to staunch the blood flow from the new gash in her arm, the pain springing tears in her eyes.

With the letter tucked away, Inuyasha turned to glare at her. Then he noticed the blood and his face paled. "Kagome…" he reached out to her. She shied away, unsure of what he would do when he was this angry. When he looked at his outreached claw and saw her blood, then factored in her reaction, he became sorrowful. "…Get out."

"What?" Kagome couldn't follow all his mood swings in the past two minutes.

"I said get out!" The anger was back as he advanced towards her, bullying her out the bedroom door and into the livingroom. When he snarled at her and reached for a projectile, she knew he was serious. What had just happened?

Deciding not to stick around, Kagome turned heel and grabbed her backpack as she fled out the door and up his gravel driveway to the street. She ran in what she hoped was the right direction towards the city until her lungs burned and her arm throbbed. Panting, she fished through the bag for Miroku's cell phone and quickly called a cab to pick her up. Even with the cab called, she didn't stop moving.

Once the driver eventually found her and she was safely stowed in the cab, Kagome looked with dull eyes out at the passing scenery. Though it could be the fatigue talking, she was sure that once or twice she caught a glimpse of silver racing through the treetops, always keeping close.


	7. In which the Blue Guitar is a form

So here's the 6th installment of Blue Guitar. This is a transition chapter, times are a-changing for young Kagome and Inuyasha.

Read and Review, if you please.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or The Man With the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens.

* * *

_And the color, the overcast blue  
Of the air, in which the blue guitar_

_Is a form, described but difficult,  
And I am merely a shadow hunched_

_Above the arrowy, still string,  
The maker of a thing yet to be made;_

_The color like a thought that grows  
Out of a mood, the tragic robe_

_Of the actor, half his gesture, half  
His speech, the dress of his meaning, silk_

_Sodden with his melancholy words,  
The weather of his stage, himself._

* * *

Kagome smiled warmly at Kaede as the elderly woman finished tying the bandage around her forearm. The smell of the balm that had been applied wasn't particularly pleasant, but it had miraculously smothered the flashes of pain from her wound. "Thank you so much Kaede." Kagome tapped the bandage "I don't know what I would have said if I went to the hospital. It happened a couple of days ago and it looks like it's healing alright but I wanted to be sure…"

Kaede eased herself back into her chair with a smile, discarding the white gauze on the table in favour of a cup of tea. "Nothing to worry about child. That is quite a scratch."

Kagome shrugged. "I can barely feel it now." She picked up the small jar of mint balm and inspected the contents "You said apply this twice a day?"

Kaede nodded and the two fell into an awkward silence, Kaede calmly sipping her tea while Kagome squirmed in discomfort.

"It was an accident." Kagome blurted out, then shrunk back and started picking at her bandage "I…made him angry. He was just trying to take something back from me…something I shouldn't have been reading. It was just an accident."

Kaede made a sound of understanding as Kagome barreled on "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. Kaede…if you had seen his face…"

"I am certain that in this situation he is just as much at fault as you are." Kaede shifted in her creaking chair "What are you going to do?"

Kagome shrugged. "I tried to call but he never answered the phone and doesn't have an answering machine." She took a calming sip of her tea. "I've been hearing weird noises out my window and on Kikyou's balcony while I've been cleaning out her room. I think it might be him."

"It would probably be best if you did not investigate to see if it was." Kaede sighed. "It would only embarrass Inuyasha for you to find out."

"I wish he would just come out and talk to me." Kagome slouched in her chair, arms crossed. "He's being so stupid. And you know that I'm going to have to be the one to apologize first!"

Kaede smiled ruefully at her "Life has not been kind to Inuyasha. He is stubborn, for certain, but it is probably what has been keeping him alive."

Kagome turned to gaze out the window "I have no idea what he's been through, do I?"

Kaede shook her head "And it's probably better for both of you that you don't. He wouldn't want your pity."

"I wouldn't pity him." Kagome looked indignant "I just…want to understand him."

"And how will that help get the blue guitar fixed?" prompted Kaede, her aged eye sharp for Kagome's reaction. "Isn't that the only reason you're even dealing with him?"

Kagome's hand paused on the teacup, her confused expression telling a tale of it's own. "…Is it?"

* * *

After listening to Inuyasha's phone ring for about the millionth time, Kagome made a sound of frustration and slammed the receiver down. Here she was, calling him, willing to apologize even, and the bastard couldn't even pick up the phone!

Sighing, she sank into the plush cushions on Kikyou's couch, allowing her head to sink into their soft fullness. Her mind was so busy these past few days that it felt like she never rested, never slept. Even in her dreams she thought of Inuyasha, of Kikyou, of their past time together. It was starting to get annoying.

What was even more annoying was the nagging feeling of…emptiness that had been dogging her steps since the last time she had seen Inuyasha. She had been rejecting Sango's lunch invitations, since didn't think it was a good idea to tell her occasionally violent friend about the incident and Kagome didn't have the heart to lie to her. She refused to believe that she missed that bastard Inuyasha, but it was getting harder and harder to reason the feeling away.

Pushing herself up off the couch in search of a distraction, she wandered over to Kikyou's CD collection, a gnawing curiosity developing in her gut. Scanning the formerly alphabetized collection, although since Kagome's entrance to the apartment the organization had definitely disintegrated, she found the CD she had been thinking of.

She popped open the case of Kikyou's first CD, sliding the disk in the very expensive player and tentatively pressing play. The familiar sounds of Kikyou's guitar filled the room, and Kagome couldn't deny there was a certain creepiness to listening to her dead sister play.

The CD hadn't really been her goal. Kagome hastily pulled the small booklet contained within the case free and flipped to the liner notes included in the back. In a tasteful white italic against the black background, Kikyou's liner notes were as succinct and elegant as the woman who wrote them. Quickly scanning the page, Kagome's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

There was no mention of Inuyasha anywhere.

She read through the whole thing, start to finish, just to make sure. Kagome flipped through the other song listings, finding that all the songs she knew to be Inuyasha's had their composer listed as anonymous or unknown.

Had Kikyou just complied with Inuyasha's request for anonymity, or had she committed _Damnatio memoria_ and purposefully ripped his name from any association with her music? The latter definitely sounded more like the Kikyou she knew.

Sighing, and beginning to understand why Inuyasha was so pissed at her sister, Kagome placed the jewel case for the CD on top of the rack and walked back over the phone. There was another phone call she had to make today and this one promised to be more rewarding then her previous billion to the elusive guitarist.

After a few short rings, a professional voice answered _Westshire Auction House_

"Hello? This is Kagome Higurashi calling." Kagome pulled at her socks nervously. She had always hated talking to strangers on the phone. "You are auctioning my sister's guitars this week."

_Ah, Miss Higurashi. One moment please and I will transfer your call to the organizer for that event._

Kagome tuned out the hold music to listen to the buzz of her own nerves. She hoped this was a good idea. She hoped he would come.

_Elena Baldraff speaking._

"Miss Baldraff? This is Kagome Higurashi."

_Oh, Miss Higurashi. The event is all going according to plan. I've seen to the flower arrangements for the foyer myself. Very tasteful, I would say._

Kagome couldn't remember ever being consulted or agreeing to any type of flower arrangement, but then this wasn't really her gig. There was only one thing she wanted. Cutting off the excited woman's tirade, albeit unintentionally, Kagome interjected "Er…that sounds excellent…but Miss Baldraff I actually have a favour to ask you."

_Certainly Miss Higurashi. What can I do for you?_

"I was wondering…if you could add one more guest to my box?" Kagome bit her lip nervously. They had told her she was allowed two guests and she had already asked Sango and Miroku. If the would just allow her one more…

_I will make sure there is an extra chair waiting for them. May I get your guest's name for the list?_

Kagome lip twitched, hoping against hope that this was a good idea. "…Inuyasha. My other guest is Inuyasha."

* * *

Kagome clutched the subway pole carefully, trying to keep her standing position as the train flew through the underground tunnels. Anxiously she flicked a glance at her watch. Of all days to be late! Kagome had already called Sango to notify her that the replacement waitress hadn't shown up and that her friend should head to the bar without her. Kagome only hoped that Miroku and Sango being there would be enough to convince Inuyasha that she was coming.

They still hadn't spoken since she last saw him and she was worried what his reaction to her would be. Unconsciously she pulled the sleeve of her sweater further down, making sure that it covered the entire length of the white gauze. No sense reminding him about it.

After one harrowing hairpin turn of the train, Kagome was finally at her stop. Managing to shuffle her way out, she clutched her bag tightly and flew out of the station onto the street. She kept her pace quick, both for wanting to arrive at the bar as soon as possible and to get off of these dangerous streets at night.

Keeping her head down and moving quickly but not obviously, Kagome made it to the bar without incident. Despite her rush to get there, she hesitated at the entrance. What if Inuyasha was still mad? What if he didn't want to see her?

Well too bad if he didn't want to see her. The louse could have at least returned her calls. Pushing her shoulders back, Kagome convinced herself that she was the wounded party here and it was just too bad for him if he didn't want to see her. They were supposed to be adults and he was giving her the silence treatment!

Shoving open the door, Kagome entered the bar with a flourish, highlighted by the draft of cold air that followed her in. The occupants seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as she made her way to her seat across from Sango. It was only then she noticed the silence of the bar.

She closed her eyes and turned to the stage, afraid of what she would find. Peaking through her eyelashes, she was astounded when she caught a flash of silver. Eyes flying open, she openly stared at the guitarist, who was now beginning his warm up tuning as if nothing had happened. Inuyasha looked worn, though she noted with some pride that he was wearing one of the shirts she pressed, and it did look much better than the wrinkly mess he usually wore. Apparently feeling her appraisal, Inuyasha flicked a gaze up from the guitar to look at her. When she offered him a tentative smile, his eyes flew open in surprise before they settled back into a look of indifference. Still, she couldn't help but notice some of the tension leave his stance. He only paused to crack his knuckles before he began to play.

Once he was well underway, Sango leaned over to whisper to her "I'm so glad you showed up when you did. The silence was horrible. We thought Inuyasha was going to go crazy."

"Silence?" Kagome fiddled with her napkin and took a sip of her drink that had appeared at the table at some point in her distraction.

"He must have been waiting for you to start playing." Miroku did not appear to take his focus from the cards, though he was addressing Kagome "Tell me Kagome, did something happen between you and Inuyasha?"

This caught the working girl's attention "Finally managed to bag him, did ya?" She tossed a coy look over at Inuyasha, one that made Kagome's hackles rise. "He is a tasty morsel. Thank Jesus for small favours, yeah? The sexual tension between you was suffocating."

Kagome choked on her drink "No, no. Nothing like that." She flicked a guilty glance down at her arm "We had a bit of a…disagreement."

"A disagreement…?" Miroku intoned cautiously, taking his attention from the cards to give her a careful once-over, which she noticed took an extra-long time focusing on her breasts.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kagome glared at him "It was no big deal. Just a fight. You know how we are."

Miroku sighed, "I know Kagome, and it's just that Inuyasha has quite a temper. It wouldn't be unheard of for him to do something rash."

"Well I have a bit of an attitude myself, Miroku." Kagome smiled and turned her attention back to her drink. "We're two of a kind…in that respect at least."

Sango, who had been unusually reserved during the exchange commented, "Well as long as you're sure you're alright Kagome. Because if he ever pulls anything…" There was no need to finish the statement, all the occupants of the table, probably of the whole bar, knew that a horrible death would be in store for anyone who harmed Kagome.

Kagome gave a nervous smile "…Thanks Sango." Deciding now was a good time to change the subject, as Inuyasha's playing had become suspiciously quiet during the exchange, Kagome rooted around in her purse for a moment before producing a pair of tickets. "Here you both are, they're for Friday night. I thought we could meet up at Kikyou's and walk together."

Now it was Sango's turn to look guilty, but it was Miroku who explained "Actually Kagome, if you don't mind Sango and I will be going out for dinner first. Would it be a terrible inconvenience to you if we met you at the hall instead?"

A Cheshire grin stole its way onto Kagome's face as she stared at her blushing friend "Not all Miroku, you two have a good time."

Turning back to watch Inuyasha, Kagome felt her lips slip into a contented smile. It felt…right to be near to Inuyasha again. Could she really have missed him? She looked at the remaining ticket in her hand. The time was fast approaching where she would have to ask him, did she dare approach after what happened last time? Would he be out the door before she could catch him?

Finishing his current song, Inuyasha paused to take a sip of water. Catching her eye, he gave Kagome a hard stare, clearly trying to tell her something without having to come out and say it. She felt like he was telling her to pay attention. Was…this next song for her? Breaking the intense gaze, he shifted nervously on the stool, checked the tuning on a few of the strings before beginning to play.

The beginning of the piece was shy, a soft flurry of staccato tones on the high register. Kagome slowly understood this was a retelling of the incident, and she assumed this was her curiosity. After a few repetitions of the melody, his thumb strummed a low counter melody, signifying Inuyasha's discovery of her investigation. The two patterns converged into an angry maelstrom of notes, dizzying in their intensity as Inuyasha's hands danced along the strings. Just at the height of the passionate crescendo, all sounds stopped. The silence rang for a few beats, leaving Kagome anxious and wondering if this was his way of telling her he was still angry.

That all changed when his shoulder slumped and his whole body seemed to curve closer to the guitar. The song became mournful and despondent in the lower register of a minor key, sluggishly drawling a tale of loneliness. Each note hung heavily in the air, weighted by feelings of sorrow and regret. As Inuyasha decrescendo'd into silence, Kagome blinked her blurry vision, taking a deep breath for what felt like the first time in ages.

Once the song was over, Inuyasha did not move. Kagome breathed a shaky sigh "Oh Inuyasha," She wiped a tear from her eye "I'm so sorry." There was so much else to say: She shouldn't have been snooping, he shouldn't have gotten so angry, she knows he didn't mean to hurt her, that it really was just an accident. When he finally looked up from his guitar, their eyes met and she knew: they both understood those things. And while they both would still feel guilty for a while, something had changed between them. When the intensity between their continued stare began to build for a whole different reason, both shyly looked away, Kagome to finish her drink and Inuyasha to start a new song.

"Well I'm glad that's been cleared up," remarked Miroku, shuffling the deck of cards and looking mighty proud of himself.

"I'm glad he's started writing again." The prostitute fluttered her eyelashes at an unknowing Inuyasha "I was getting sick of hearing the same stuff every week."

That managed to draw Kagome's interest away from Inuyasha "He stopped writing?"

The prostitute's lip turned up in a smile that would have been pleasant, were it not for the dark lipstick that turned the expression sinister "Yeah. He showed up here a few years ago with a set of songs to play and that's all he's played since. No one complained because he's beautiful to listen to…" She licked her lips "…and look at. Besides, he's not exactly the friendliest guy whose open for suggestions, ya know?"

Kagome snorted, "Yeah, I know."

Miroku opened his mouth to comment but it was interrupted by the slammed case of Inuyasha's guitar. Kagome turned to look at him in confusion. The set couldn't be over, he hadn't played Kikyou's song.

Inuyasha was carefully avoiding looking at her as he packed up his stuff, but all his movements were deliberately slow. Kagome let a smile bloom on her face. He wanted her to come up and talk to him.

Feeling decidedly better about her chances, Kagome picked up her purse and strolled up to the stage. "Hey, Inuyasha?"

"Oh, Hey Kagome" He drummed his fingers on the lid of the case "So you came, did ya? Figured I'd see you here."

Kagome rolled her eyes. As if he hadn't seen her come in or anything. "Yeah. Well, anyways…see the thing is I have these…there's this auction…you know…um…for Kikyou's guitars?"

Inuyasha looked confused "Spit it out wench, I haven't got all day."

"Did you want to come…to the auction…with me?" She thrust the ticket towards him, feeling a bit like a schoolgirl, especially with the soft blush she could feel decorating her face.

"Kagome…" he looked at her with a surprise, his eyes holding an unusual softness as he took the ticket from her. As quickly as the look appeared, it vanished as he turned his nose up suddenly away from her. "As if I would want to sit with one dumb bitch and watch while they sold a dead bitch's guitars to a bunch of stuffy jackasses. Sounds fucking boring, if you ask me."

Kagome growled, using the annoyance she felt to cover her disappointment "Fine! Who says I want you there anyways?"

"Oh, so now you don't?" He narrowed his eyes at her "Well then fine!"

"Fine!" Kagome threw her arms up in exasperation, stomping back to her chair and slumping into it while Inuyasha stormed out the backdoor into the night.

Once he was safely out of the building, her friends gave a collective sigh of relief. After Miroku and Sango offering condolences on what an idiot Inuyasha was, Kagome smiled to herself, both in thanks for her friends and thinking about what had just happened.

She still had hope Inuyasha would show up. After all, even though he said all those stupid things, he didn't give the ticket back. And Kagome was beginning to understand that when it came to idiots like Inuyasha, actions spoke decibels louder than words.

* * *

Kagome clutched her coat a bit tighter as she gingerly exited the cab that had carried her through the cold night to Westshire Auction House. Paying her fare, Kagome carefully navigated her way up the steps, wary of the ice because of the tall heels she wore for the evening. Sliding through a door into the blessedly warm foyer, Kagome was immediately greeted by the event coordinator.

"So glad you could make it, Miss Higurashi." Elena Baldraff intoned with elegant excitement, if such a thing were possible. "Please, let me take care of your coat. Most people have gathered into the display section where we are showing the guitars to be auctioned. There should be a few wait staff circulating with champagne to help alleviate the rest of the fall chill."

"Thank you so much," Kagome smiled warmly at the woman as she swept off her coat, "I cannot tell you how thankful I am for your kindness. Westshire House has certainly done a wonderful job to honour Kikyou."

"We were honoured to be chosen for the auction, Miss Higurashi." Elena beamed "Many members of our staff were large fans of your sister's work. I am certain a few of them will be bidding tonight. I know our manager had his eye on the traditional Mexican guitar. You sister certainly had a diverse collection."

Thinking of the blue guitar, Kagome had to laugh, "She certainly managed to find some…unique pieces."

"Indeed." Elena agreed amiably, then in a gusty breath announced "It would seem that your other guests have arrived."

Kagome pivoted quickly on her heel, turning to see Miroku and Sango approaching from the entrance. After the three had greeted each other, Miroku politely offered to take Sango's coat, to which she demurely removed her wool jacket to reveal a beautiful jewel tone cocktail dress.

"Wow Sango!" Kagome grinned at her friend "You look gorgeous!"

"Thanks Kagome," Sango smiled shyly, "You are quite a sight yourself."

Kagome laughed "Not hardly." She'd elected for a simple black sheath dress, complimented by her mother's necklace that she wore on special occasions. It was a single, round jewel of an unknown stone. It reminded Kagome of when her and Souta used to steal it and play games with it, pretending it had magical properties.

Miroku and Elena's departure brought Kagome back to the present. Gripping her friend at the elbow, Kagome dragged Sango along to the display hall. "So tell me about this date with Miroku."

"There's not much to tell." Sango shrugged "we went for dinner to a nice restaurant. He acted like a perfect gentlemen, minus a few hands in a few inappropriate places. It was just a date."

Kagome made a sound of disbelief "Come on Sango. I know you like the guy. Tell me the truth, how was it?"

Sango blushed, snagging a flute of champagne from a passing waiter "Kagome…I've never felt this way before about a guy…it was…" Taking a sip of her champagne, the dreamy expression turned to a frown "except he didn't kiss me. What's the point in dating a lecher if he doesn't even…is that…Inuyasha?"

Kagome turned her head so quickly she was probably going to have whiplash. "Inuyasha? Where?"

She didn't need further direction, after all he was probably the only person alive with that much silver hair, not to mention one who would wear such a beat up fedora to an evening such as this.

Sango growled "I can't believe he would show up here after what he said to you!" her tone made Kagome nervous. The already empty champagne flute didn't help. Kagome checked to make sure the scratch on her arm had healed to the point of no longer being visible, so as to avoid adding fuel to the flame. "I'm going to go and give him a piece of my mind."

"No, no Sango," Kagome stood in her path "Listen, you just have a wonderful night tonight with Miroku. I'll take care of Inuyasha." Sango looked hesitant but Miroku's return drew her attention. Kagome urged her forward "Go on. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Sango gave her a concerned smile "This can't be easy, selling off something that was so important to your sister."

Kagome shrugged "I'll be alright." In truth she figured she had done most of her crying already. She expected a few tears tonight, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "Really, Sango please, I want you to have a good night."

Sango gave her one last worried glance before Miroku joined them "Why Kagome, don't you look beautiful this evening." Miroku took her hand between his "I think you grow lovelier every time I see you."

Thinking Sango was likely to violently intervene at any moment, Kagome tried to pull her hand free as she replied, "Thank you Miroku, you're looking rather dashing this evening yourself." One sharp pull had her knocking into the person behind her, though her hand remained captive.

The person placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Drop the hand, Miroku," rumbled out of Inuyasha's chest in a low growl, vibrating through Kagome and sending a delicious shiver down her spine.

Miroku quickly dropped the hand, a charming smile remaining on his face. "Ah and Inuyasha. Such a pleasure to see you here as well. Do you plan on bidding on any of the guitars?"

"Nah." The exhaled syllable stirred the hairs on the back of Kagome's neck, her eyes opening wide a the foreign sensation "I have all the guitars I need. The only reason I came was…"

Kagome cut him off with an elbow to the ribs, stopping whatever insulting comment was sure to ensue in hopes of staving off a fight. "Say Inuyasha, wouldn't you like to see one of Kikyou's old guitars?" Before he could argue, she grabbed his hand and started to drag him away. She called back to her friends "We'll meet you in the box arranged for us to watch the auction. Until then, enjoy the champagne!"

Once they were out of earshot, Kagome pulled Inuyasha behind a case so they could spy on their friends. Sango's initial cold shoulder in reaction to Miroku's mild flirtation with Kagome gradually thawed and her friend began smiling and laughing again. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was all that about?" Inuyasha demanded moodily, staring at her a bit like she was crazy.

"Miroku and Sango were having a bit of a date night and I didn't want to interrupt it." Kagome smiled winsomely "They make such a cute pair. I think they'd be good for each other."

"Keh. They shouldn't be here on a date, they should be here for you." Kagome blinked in surprise, turning to stare at Inuyasha, who was currently appearing to scrutinize the guitar in the case before him. "Tonight is probably going to be hard on you. Your friends should be there for you."

"Is…that why you're here?" Kagome couldn't help but ask. "Because…you're my friend?"

Inuyasha blushed and looked away "Keh."

Kagome grinned brilliantly, taking an inordinate amount of happiness in Inuyasha's admission. "Hey, want to see some pictures of Kikyou from when we were kids? I found some in Kikyou's apartment and let them put them up as part of the display." She dragged him over to the far display where the short biography of Kikyou was written.

"I was tempted to tell them to add you," Kagome smiled impishly "Just to see what you would say."

"Keh." Inuyasha shrugged, standing close to her due to the volume of people reading the display. "I probably wouldn't have noticed. I wasn't crazy about fame. Not like Kikyou."

"Kikyou wasn't crazy about fame. Kikyou wasn't crazy about anything." Kagome frowned. Did Inuyasha know something she didn't?

He snorted. "It was all she wanted, all the talked about" Inuyasha shrugged "She couldn't understand why I didn't want any part of that shit. She…wanted to be immortal I think. To know that she would leave something behind when she died."

Inuyasha made a noncommittal sound, lost in his own musings, "I think it was after your family died. It really made her think about her own mortality, you know? So she thought up the best way she could to, sort of live forever I guess."

"Well then I guess she succeeded, didn't she?" Kagome gestured around the filled hall, "all these people are here for her tonight."

He turned away from Kagome to stare at a photo of a young Kikyou and Kagome playing in the yard. Adjacent to it was a more recent photo of Kikyou playing, looking regal and serious in the spotlight of the amphitheatre. "Once she was famous, I think she figured out how lonely it was. The way that people looked at her, like she was a goddess or something. Even though more people knew of her, I think she started to realise that it wasn't as if they actually knew her."

Inuyasha swiped Kagome's glass of champagne and took a sip before handing it back to her. "She tried to drag me into it too. I'm sure you figured that out already." Kagome had the decency to blush at the allusion to her misguided curiosity. "She just couldn't understand that I didn't want any of that crap. After a childhood getting too much attention, I just wanted to be left alone. I thought about doing it for Kikyou, she was always so sad, but when it came down to it I…just couldn't."

Kagome made a sound of sympathy and laid her hand on his arm. Surprisingly he didn't shake her off when he continued speaking "These people, they remember Kikyou with their brains, but they don't remember her with their hearts. Not like us."

Kagome smiled at him warmly, her disbelief that it was Inuyasha saying these things displaced by the compassion she felt for his words, "No. Not like us."

He just shrugged in response and left her side to go and look at something that caught his interest. Kagome left him to his own devices as she read through the biography the researchers at the auction house had written. It was remarkably accurate, at least as far as Kagome would have known were she not aware of Inuyasha.

A few people had recognized her as Kikyou's sister and asked her questions about her sister's life and she had been more than happy to share with them what she knew. When it came to the guitars, Kagome freely admitted her ignorance about them, suggesting that the information plaques written were far better educated than she.

When they announced the beginning of the auction, Kagome scanned the crowd to reclaim Inuyasha and bring him to their seats. Spying him easily, she quickly cut through the crowd with the efficiency of a woman who had grown up in the city. Once she caught up to him, Kagome took a moment to give his outfit an appreciative glance.

Having done and put away his laundry, she knew the clothes were new. The pants were cut nicely and hung in a flattering manner on his legs. Tucked into them was a dress shirt that still bore its crisp seams and sharp collar. The material it was made from looked very soft and Kagome indulged her curiosity by reaching out to touch it.

At the slightest brush of her fingers, he turned quickly. "What?"

"Oh! Um…the auction is starting. I came to get you to bring you to our seats." Kagome smiled. She began to lead him through the crowds, but where she could pilot easily between people, Inuyasha's larger frame and unfamiliarity with large crowds left him far behind her.

Though she knew it was practical, she couldn't help but be surprised when he grabbed her hand. Kagome figured that if she turned to comment on it, it would only embarrass him, and he might withdraw his hand, so she kept mum and guided him on.

* * *

Miroku had already causally draped his arm of the back of Sango's chair by the time they had arrived at their designated box within the auction house. Kagome eagerly sat in one of the seats to the further back of the box and Inuyasha took the seat beside her. She wasn't sure if her preference of distance was to keep the atmosphere as "date-like" as possible for Sango and Miroku, or to afford herself some privacy if her emotions got the best of her.

Perhaps it was her fixation on Miroku and Sango that had prevented her from remembering the real reason they were at the auction house. The fact that she was essentially selling her sister's life didn't really hit her until they sold the first guitar. When the auctioneer's gavel hit to announce the final sale, Kagome felt something twist deep in her gut and her breath left her in a gasp. Sango apparently heard it and turned back to comfort her friend. Kagome gave her a smile to reassure her, so Sango turned back around.

Once Sango had looked away, Kagome clutched blindly at Inuyasha, drawing an odd amount of strength from his presence. His arm was warm and solid beneath her cold clammy hand and it acted like an anchor to the earth when she wanted to float away in a sea of melancholy. He made no comment, even though she was sure her nails were digging into his skin at one point, and he even patted her hand awkwardly when she started crying.

Once the last guitar had been sold and Kagome's last tear had been shed, Sango and Miroku came back to stand with Inuyasha and Kagome. Sango wrapped Kagome up in a quick hug "Wow, that was some night."

Kagome gave a watery laugh "Yeah, it was something I never thought I'd see."

Sango made a sound of sympathy "Well I'm sure you never expected to outlive Kikyou."

"That's not what I meant," Kagome pulled back to smile at her friend "I meant, I never thought I would see you and Miroku spend a whole evening together and he didn't do anything lecherous."

Miroku wrapped an arm around Sango's shoulders "The night is still young." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at the embarrassed young woman in his arms.

Kagome yawned dramatically "Well I, for one, am beat." She turned to Inuyasha "Would you mind staying with me for a few more minutes? I just have some stuff to wrap up here." She motioned to Miroku and Sango to go "You two head on out, I'll be fine." Sango moved to protest but Kagome just repeated, "I'll be fine."

Once the two were gone, Kagome let out a sigh. She had wanted the two of them to leave separate from her and Inuyasha so that, if Sango were to allow Miroku to be so lucky, she wouldn't have to think about Kagome's opinion if she wanted to invite him home.

Bidding her final goodbyes to Miss. Baldraff, Kagome shrugged back on her coat as Inuyasha zipped up his leather jacket. "How did you get here anyways?" Kagome asked, wondering if she could hint for a ride home.

"How do you think?" He gave her a wry smile, motioning to the fedora with a clawed finger as if to remind her what he was.

"Can…you give me a lift home?" She asked quietly, doubting he would say yes.

"You sure?" He eyed her pantyhose-covered legs. "It's a cold night."

Checking both ways to see if there were any late night stragglers that might notice something amiss, Kagome's response was to stand with her arms open, ready to jump on his back. Inuyasha emitted a sigh of resignation and turned, allowing her to vault on.

As Inuyasha sped through the streets, Kagome felt freer than she had in months. Almost everything Kikyou had instructed was done. All that was left was the blue guitar.

* * *

Inuyasha pushed open the sliding door to Kikyou's balcony with ease, since Kagome had stopped bothering to lock it in hopes it would invite Inuyasha inside. Once they entered the room, Inuyasha looked around in surprise. "You moved your stuff in here."

Kagome shrugged, "well it is the biggest bedroom in the place." She removed her jacket and hung it in the closet "Besides, you were right. There was no point in keeping this place like some sort of museum exhibit. Kikyou…would have wanted me to use it."

"Keh." Inuyasha looked distinctly embarrassed, whether it was at her praise or at being in her bedroom wasn't clear.

Kagome let out a yawn and Inuyasha gave her a soft look that quickly turned her insides to jelly. Before she could even think about her odd reaction to him, he turned to leave the room.

"Wait…" She called, though she wasn't sure what she was going to keep him for. He halted at the door and turned to look at her over one shoulder. Before she lost her nerve she moved over to him and wrapped him in a quick hug around the waist. "Thank you," she whispered into his collarbone, feeling the tension in his body and hoping he wasn't mad. She just couldn't resist it, she needed one last reassurance before he left her here alone.

Slowly one of his arms came up around her shoulders, while the other reached up to scratch his ear awkwardly. "Whatever" he murmured gruffly.

Pushing her away gently, Inuyasha steered her towards the bed "Now get some sleep, you're going to need it."

"Why will I need it?" She asked groggily, kicking off her shoes to a distant corner of the room. "I'm not working tomorrow."

"I know, which means I'm coming to get you bright and early." He gave her a fanged smirk as her jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Give me a break! Your idea of morning is before even the birds are awake! Can't you come in the afternoon?" She pleaded with him, desperate for a few extra hours of sleep.

"Nope. A deal is a deal and I'm going to get as much work out of you as I can." Inuyasha rolled a kink out of his shoulder. "So you just be sure to be dressed and ready to go when I show up."

"Yes, master." She grumbled, glaring at him.

With a final "keh," Inuyasha strolled out the balcony and leapt off, starting his journey home. Alone in her room, Kagome allowed a radiant smile to engulf her face, feeling unbelievably elated as she fell back on her bed.

The air in Kikyou's…in Kagome's new bedroom felt easier to breath than it had before. Kagome knew it had nothing to do with the copious amounts of dust she had cleared. The ghost of Kikyou was lifting, as the world before her death slowly shifted into the one that would follow. Kagome was beginning to feel at home here in a way she never had before.

Was this the end of her travels? Did all her roads really point to home?

Too tired to dwell on it, Kagome fell asleep, no longer reliving visions of the past, but dreaming of the future.


	8. The Chattering of the Blue Guitar

I wrote this chapter over the weekend and it has turned into quite the behemoth. It's mostly fluff unfortunately, let me know how it reads to you. I hope it's in keeping with the tone of the rest of the story.

A huge thank you to Ai Kisugi for their nomination of Blue Guitar in the IYFG 4th Quarter Best Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality category. I am not sure my grammar is quite up to snuff for the Guild, but que sera sera. I am so incredibly honoured by the nomination. Thank you!

That's it for now. Read and Review, if you so chose.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or The Man With the Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens

* * *

_Do not speak to us of the greatness of poetry,  
Of the torches wisping in the underground,_

_Of the structure of vaults upon a point of light.  
There are no shadows in our sun,_

_Day is desire and night is sleep.  
There are no shadows anywhere._

_The earth, for us, is flat and bare.  
There are no shadows. Poetry_

_Exceeding music must take the place  
Of empty heaven and its hymns,_

_Ourselves in poetry must take their place,  
Even in the chattering of your guitar._

* * *

Inuyasha released his tight hold on Kagome's thighs, allowing her to slide off his back onto the driveway of his home. She steadied herself by bracing her hand on his shoulder and gave her back an experimental stretch. Inuyasha led her across the frost-crisped grass to unlock the front door. In the warmth of the foyer, they shed their coats before Inuyasha turned to her.

"You should probably work on the bedroom today." He looked a bit shamefaced "Most of your work from…uh…before…was kind of ruined."

Kagome sighed, figuring this was inevitable. Casting an inspective glance around the living room, she was pleasantly surprised to see he hadn't undone all the work she had accomplished. Ramen cups were pretty much the only debris in this part of the house, though if the bedroom embarrassed even Inuyasha, she probably had her work cut out for her.

"Okay." She shrugged and took two steps away before turning back "Um…what are you going to be doing?"

He looked surprised before shrugging "Gotta get the truck running." He ran a hand through his hair "I'll need it for winter."

Confused by the feeling of disappointment that sprung up in her chest, Kagome mustered a casual smile "Okay, I'll call you when lunch is ready."

"No need." Inuyasha tapped his nose, "I'll be able to smell it."

"From all the way outside?" Kagome was doubtful. Did her cooking really smell that strongly?

"Sure," he smirked, "I don't have weak senses like you pathetic humans. I can sometimes even tell what a person is thinking and feeling by scent alone."

"Thinking and feeling?" Kagome squeaked, covering her face with her hands when she thought of all the things he could have inadvertently discovered about her. "Can…you tell what I'm feeling right now?"

"Keh," he grinned at her, almost teasingly, "I don't need a good sense of smell to know when you're embarrassed. It's written all over your face."

"Shut up!" she yelled at him, her face reddening further. Deciding it was time for a change of subject, Kagome shooed him out the door. "Don't you have better things to be doing besides bothering me? Get to work already!"

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha strolled casually out the front door, pulling the heavy wooden door shut behind him to keep the chill out.

Sighing, Kagome decided to tidy up the living room in an effort to delay tackling his bedroom. She made quick work of setting the room to rights, disposing of all the accumulated garbage before scooping up the rogue socks. With her laundry bundle she traipsed into the bedroom, only to drop the entire load in surprise at the state of the room.

All the boxes she had been neatly organizing under the bed were torn apart, their contents littered on the floor. The nightstands were overturned and one of the lamps had been smashed. Most of the clothes she had carefully laundered and put away were haphazardly spread around the room and all over the bed. Mercifully he had not attacked the bed itself, Kagome had only meager sewing skills and didn't think she could repair ruined pillows or mattresses.

Once the shock wore off, Kagome felt a small eruption of anger. "Inuyasha!" She growled, her eye forming a distinctive tick of frustration. Storming to the door with the intention of giving the vandal a piece of her mind, she froze when she noticed a large pile of paper scraps beside the dresser. Scraps of Kikyou's handwriting.

Kagome bent down to inspect further. These meager shreds of paper were all the remained from the entire shoebox of letters from Kikyou. The anger that had swelled in her gut underwent a rapid metamorphosis into guilt. She hadn't meant for him to erase his whole past with her sister. She cursed herself for what felt like the millionth time for ever opening that letter.

Begrudgingly admitting her own role in the state of the bedroom, Kagome began picking her way through, disposing of the shredded paper and sorting the laundry into piles of what could be refolded and what needed to be washed again. Clearing up the pieces of lamp had been a more delicate process, but Kagome took care and managed to not cut herself on any of the shards.

Lost in aimless thoughts while holding up a wrinkled shirt for inspection, Kagome was startled when Inuyasha flopped down on the bed she had just cleared.

"Hey!" She planted her hands on her hips, "You're all greasy! Get off the sheets!"

Inuyasha rolled over to glare at her "Wench, you can just wash them again later."

"You're the one that is dirtying them," she growled "you should be the one who has to wash them. Maybe I'll just leave them like that!"

"Well then maybe I'll forget to fix the blue guitar." He baited closing his eyes and tipping his head back, then spreading out to make sure he dirtied the entire bed "Or maybe I'll have a little accident with it."

Kagome opened her mouth to give an angry retort but snapped it shut, stooping to scoop up an armful of laundry. He was right. She had forgotten that, in this game, Inuyasha was holding all the cards. Frustrated and irritated, Kagome slammed the dirty clothes into the basket and strutted out of the bedroom in a huff.

Deciding in the laundry room that she wasn't going to take any of Inuyasha's crap, or at least she wasn't going to let him have the last word, Kagome stormed back into his bedroom.

"INUYa…sha?" Her angry yell dwindled to a soft question as she realized he was sound asleep on the bed, laying spread eagle so his hands dangled off the sides. She approached him quietly, her gaze riveted to the slow rise and fall of his chest.

When she was angry with him, she was always forgetting how beautiful he was. Now that he couldn't open his big, stupid mouth and say something idiotic to her, the attraction she felt towards him was almost overpowering. Before she could even control it she was at the bedside, staring down at his sleeping face. Starting at his bared feet, she let her gaze travel upwards, absorbing the site of his muscular legs barely concealed by a pair of faded and ripped jeans. She paused briefly in her inspection at his narrow hips, staring conspicuously at the fly of his jeans before blushing and moving northward.

His shirt had ridden up a bit, revealing a toned abdomen that was slimmer than Kagome would have expected. The sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows to expose tanned forearms that extended to clawed fingertips. Tentatively, Kagome traced one claw tip, thinking about how those claws could hurt her. Had hurt her. But she was not afraid. One look at Inuyasha's face after he had hurt her, one note of the song he had played in apology, would be all it would take to convince even the hardest heart that he would never let that happen again.

Sitting in the empty part of the bed between his arm and thigh, Kagome carefully measured his hand against hers, leaving a few centimeters of space between to avoid waking him. When she turned to look at his exposed throat, Kagome felt her mouth go dry. The vulnerable, delicate skin combined with the sharp, masculine cut of his jaw and the hinted outline of his lips made her swallow hard. Though so far she had been content to look, she felt the consuming need to touch. Her hand moved forward of its own volition towards his lips. Seeming to realize where it was headed at the last minute, she diverted its course to the more neutral territory of his hair, sliding her fingers through the silken silver with care to avoid the knots.

Though her ministrations were gentle, they were enough to wake Inuyasha. "Ka…gome?" he squinted up at her, his voice roughed by sleep. His hand closed on hers where she loosely held it in her lap.

"Hey." She breathed gently, a warmth building from their connected hands. Would he mind if she just sat there and stared at him forever?

For his part, Inuyasha seemed confused but not annoyed or bothered by their proximity. Kagome didn't know what spell had fallen over her to make her act this way, but everything felt too right to stop. Allowing her hand to rise from his hair, she softly brushed it along his cheek. His eyes opened wider. In response, Kagome smiled a warm smile.

"I'm going to go and start lunch." She gently pulled her hand free and stood, still smiling. "You just rest, I'll wake you when it's time." Without waiting for a reply, she slid from the room, shutting the bedroom door behind her.

Once she was securely from Inuyasha's view, she slid down the opposite wall with her hands on her cheeks. What on earth had just come over her? Allowing her head to hit her knees, Kagome took a deep breath and released a sigh. After a moment, she rose and walked over to the kitchen.

There was no time to think about this now. She had a lunch to make.

* * *

"What do you think of this one?" Sango held up a sweater for Kagome's inspection.

"Looks good." Kagome moved toward her to feel the material. "The cashmere is so soft. I'm sure Miroku will love it." When she winked, Sango had the grace to blush in return but made no retort or correction, only rubbed the material between her fingers with a thoughtful look on her face.

"How are things going with Miroku?" Kagome hid some of her curiosity by pretending to pay attention to a display of jeans. "Everything okay?"

"When we're alone everything's great." Sango heaved a sigh that drew Kagome's attention back to her friend's face. A distinct frown line had formed on her brow and her lips had pursed into a thin line. "But out in public, it seems like we're running into women he knows everywhere. They always come up to him and…and…plaster themselves all over him!"

Wary of the sweater being stretched out of shape in Sango's angry hands, Kagome calmly took the material from her and laid a hand on her arm. "Sango, how does Miroku respond?"

Sango looked thoughtful "He…looks uncomfortable I guess. Though whether it's from the girl on him, or from the death glare I'm sure I'm giving him…well it's probably a bit of both" Sango snorted. Her amusement didn't last long "Sometimes…I'm just not sure, Kagome. He has such a lecherous past. I don't know if I'm strong enough to deal with it."

"Sango Adachi!" Kagome planted her hands on the shoulders of her friend "You are the strongest woman I know." She softened her expression to one of warm encouragement. "He cares for you more than all those others, I just know it."

"I don't know…" Sango looked doubtful.

"Well…" Kagome sighed, "If you're really sure, you could always break it off with him…"

"No!" Sango corrected quickly, "It's just…going to be a recurring problem. I'll apologize to you now because I'm probably going to be bitching about it all the time."

Kagome laughed, "Well bitching about boyfriends is just part of being girlfriends!" She grinned brightly at Sango as the two of them made their way over to the cash register.

"Speaking of," Sango turned to Kagome after handing the clerk her credit card, "what's going on with you and Inuyasha?"

"Nothing," Kagome responded quickly. Judging by Sango's skeptical look, the response had come just a little too quickly.

"If you say so." Sango collected her bag. "I noticed he didn't play Kikyou's song last week. Do you think he's going to stop playing it?"

Kagome shrugged. "Maybe it was just a one-off. We were both upset."

"That song he played for you…" Sango whistled low. "It was about your disagreement?"

"Yeah," Kagome rubbed a finger over where the scratch had been "it was really no big deal. We both just overreacted to something stupid. Sometimes I just can't control myself around that guy, I don't know what it is."

"Kagome, maybe you…" Sango began before Kagome cut her off.

"Oh!" She snapped her fingers sharply "I almost forgot. The only way I could barter to get today away from my slave master was if I picked him up some new sweaters. Up for a jaunt to the outdoorsman store?"

Sango allowed the change of subject but Kagome knew she had only temporarily dodged the bullet. Sango was ruthless when it came to the pursuit of the truth.

If only Kagome could figure out exactly what she was hiding.

* * *

Inuyasha and Kagome silently stood side by side at his kitchen sink, with Inuyasha roughly washing the dishes while Kagome dried them and put them away. This routine had been established during their first few meals together, after Kagome had complained at length about having to do all the dishes herself.

The past few nights, Kagome couldn't help but feel oddly drawn towards him and had taken to standing a touch too close to Inuyasha. It caused their arms and legs to occasionally brush, the contact sending warm tingles up her spine. Inuyasha seemed to have caught on to her intentions, and when she shifted away to place a dish on a distant part of the counter, his body seemed to follow hers so they always remained close.

Tonight Inuyasha broke the silence. "How on earth did you find me, anyways?" His arm brushed hers as he handed her a dinner plate.

"What?" Confused, Kagome paused in her drying after taking the plate.

"How did you know to come to the bar to find me?" He swiveled his upper body towards her to direct his full, curious stare on her face.

Kagome, unable to take the scrutiny of his gaze, turned back to her dish "Miroku told me you played there. He…kind of tricked me into a date with him." She laughed a bit "I brought Sango as protection. Then she turns out to start dating the guy!"

"You're letting your friend date that lecher?" Inuyasha resumed washing a glass in the soapy water. "You should warn her about what he's like."

Kagome sighed, "She already knows. She's kind of wary about it, to be honest with you. Was he really that bad?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and widened his stance so his bare foot was against Kagome's sock "I don't know the guy that well. Just what I have heard about him." He glared down at her as he handed her the glass "You didn't answer my question. How did you find Miroku?"

Kagome sighed, wondering how much of the story she would have to retell. "I had gone to some guitar shops looking for someone to fix the blue guitar. I went into this one shop, Kaede's shop, and she told me about Miroku." Kagome reached over Inuyasha to rinse a bit of the soap still clinging to the glass, momentarily resting her head on his arm in the process.

"Kaede?" Inuyasha looked thoughtful "She…sells guitars."

Kagome shifted a bit away from him nervously. "Yes…she had seen the red guitar at Mirkou's and recognized it as similar to the blue guitar I had."

"Do I know her?" Inuyasha whispered more to himself than to Kagome.

She debated answering but figured she had might as well tell the truth. "Yeah, she said she knew you from when you lived in a village with your mother."

Inuyasha looked startled and turned fully towards her "My mother?" He glared at her. "Just how fucking much did that old hag tell you?"

"Only that your mother had…died and that you didn't live in that village anymore." She glared back at him "And I wouldn't have had to ask her anything if you had just told me the truth in the first place!"

Inuyasha just shrugged and leaned his hips back against the counter. "So the old hag with the guitars is living in the city now too, huh?"

"Her shop is downtown. I go to visit her sometimes…" She eyed Inuyasha's curious face with speculation "Would…you like to come with me to visit her?" Kagome wasn't sure why she offered the suggestion but judging by the way Inuyasha was considering it, it was turning out to be a good idea.

"I can't believe that old woman has remembered me for this long…" The look of amazement on his face that someone, anyone, would remember him clenched Kagome's heart.

She reached up and tugged on his ear "Well you are pretty memorable."

He scoffed and turned away "Of course." his tone was bitter "Who could forget a freak?"

Kagome's eyes softened and she cupped his cheek to turn his head towards her "Who could forget someone so beautiful?"

"…Kagome…" they stared at each other, his eyes searching her face for a lie and only finding the truth. When it became too intense, they both looked away with blushes on their faces.

Inuyasha turned back to the sink and resumed his washing. Kagome moved back to his side, the outside of her thigh pressed against the strong muscles in his leg. When he pushed slightly back, Kagome couldn't hold in brilliant grin that illuminated her face.

* * *

Kagome barely restrained the urge to slam her tray down against the café bar. The guy at Table 5 was all hands, as per usual, and she was unlucky enough to have to serve him. She rolled her eyes at the thought of her fellow waitress, Ayame, who was recently acting like a real bitch to Kagome for no apparent reason. Kagome wasn't one to bear a grudge against anyone, but Ayame was always pushing her buttons and Kagome was just too tired today to deal with it.

The problem was really found with Inuyasha, as it always tended to be these days. He had appeared in her bedroom that morning and demanded that she cook him breakfast even though it was a day she had to work in the café. A few threats to the blue guitar later and she was serving him scrambled eggs at an ungodly hour of the morning.

Leaning her tired arms against the bar, Kagome looked up at the clock and sighed. Only a few more minutes until the end of her shift, then she could go home, take a nice bath, and forget that today ever happened.

The barista set a pair of cappuccinos down on her tray, interrupting Kagome's daydreams. "That's for the couple at Table 6. After that, take the order of the gent who just sat down at Table 3." She gave Kagome a concerned look. "Head on home after this one, Kagome. You look tired. And I know you don't like working with…" she gestured towards Ayame, who turned immediately afterwards to direct a glare at Kagome.

Kagome sighed, "Thanks. That would be great."

Picking up the tray, Kagome delivered the drink with a new spring in her step. After delivering her cargo, she turned to the new customer. "Welcome to…Kouga?"

Sure enough, Kouga looked up from the newspaper he was reading to grin roguishly at her. "Kagome!" He dropped the paper to clasp her free hand in both of his, "it's great to see you again."

"It's…good to see you again too, Kouga," Kagome grinned nervously, "what…are you doing here?"

"What does it matter, now that we're back together?" He used her captured hand to draw her closer. "Tell me Kagome, have you reconsidered my offer?"

Kagome blushed and withdrew her hand as Kouga unabashedly stared at her figure. Moving the tray to block his view, she responded with a smile, "I've found another way to fix the blue guitar. Thanks, though."

He suddenly stood, bringing their bodies close together. "Well, it still stands. Kagome, someone as beautiful as you deserves someone as great as me," he took an advancing step towards her and Kagome took a step back. "You'll get tired of mutt-face eventually. I'll be waiting for…er…yes, Ayame?"

Kagome experienced the sensation of a thousand ice cubes running down her back. Turning slowly, she came face to face with Ayame, who looked angrier than anyone aught to be.

"You hussy!" She screamed at Kagome, who tried to move away from her only to run into Kouga. When he placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, Ayame seemed to grow only more enraged. "You get away from him now. Kouga is mine!"

"Easy there, Ayame." Kouga tried to appease her while obviously keeping Kagome between them.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Look Ayame, there's no reason for concern. I'm…" Kagome felt the blush heat her cheeks. This was really the fastest way to end this debacle, "I'm already seeing someone else."

"Oh…" That seemed to take some of the fire out of the girl, "well, just remember to stay away from him!" Seeing that the barista was signaling her back over, Ayame left with one parting glare at Kagome.

Kouga laughed a bit to himself. "That Ayame," he shook his head, "always a firecracker."

Kagome laughed a bit awkwardly in agreement. She wasn't sure that was the word she would use, but that word was usually exclusive to Inuyasha's vocabulary.

"Listen, Kagome," Kouga's voice rumbled low, "she's just confused. I have eyes…and everything else…only for you."

His face neared hers as Kagome stumbled for a response. She backed away from Kouga until she hit someone else. Someone who was…growling?

"Back off, wolf." Inuyasha glared at Kouga from over Kagome's head. He wrapped a possessive arm around her shoulders and pulled her back against him. "She ain't yours."

"So it is you she's with, Mutt-face?" Kouga sneered, " I smelt you all over her but I never thought a mutt like you could land a great girl like Kagome."

"Smelt…?" Kagome whispered in confusion. Was Kouga…a demon like Inuyasha? It wasn't just his womanizing that made Inuyasha call him a wolf?

"Just go back to your betrothed, asshole," Inuyasha glared, "and leave Kagome alone."

"Betrothed…?" Kagome chanced a glance over at Ayame, who watched the scene with a hybrid of anger and sorrow. She rounded on Kouga. "Kouga, you jerk! You had a fiancée all this time and you still propositioned me? Where are you manners? Were you born in a barn?"

"More like a cave." Inuyasha smirked.

Kouga looked startled at the unveiling of Kagome's temper and could muster no response but to turn his face away from both of them. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm and dragged him towards the exit. "C'mon Inuyasha. We're leaving." She undid her apron strings and left the apron sitting on top of the bar as she passed. The barista smiled at her and nodded her acceptance of Kagome's departure.

Once outside, Kagome had to rush to keep up with Inuyasha's quick steps. When she managed to get beside him, she turned to him "What are you doing here?"

"Keh." He stopped and crossed his arms, turning his face away. "This is the thanks I get for saving you from that wolf? I told you this morning that I was going to come to bring you home."

"Yeah, and Kikyou's is the other direction." Kagome looked puzzled "Isn't this the way to your…"

"I need groceries." Inuyasha interjected, a hint of a blush on his face. "Unless you want to be making ramen all week. I'll tell you now that's fine with me."

Kagome laughed, "I'm sure you'd love that. Not all of us can eat that 24/7, you know."

"Keh." He turned up his nose at her and continued walking. "Of course there's something wrong with you."

She tried to give him a playful sock on the arm but he caught her punch. To her surprise, he threaded his fingers between hers and gave her hand a little squeeze.

As if just realizing what he did, Inuyasha abruptly dropped her hand and picked up the pace, Kagome rushing along to stay by his side.

* * *

Stretched out on Inuyasha's couch, Kagome lazily rubbed her feet together. She poked listlessly at one of the balled up socks in the laundry bin at her side. Kagome had completed all her appointed chores in record time today, leaving her at a bit of a loose end. She couldn't leave until Inuyasha took her home.

Sighing, Kagome let her gaze rest on Inuyasha, who was gently restringing the blue guitar. His sanding had removed a large amount of the blue colouring that had remained, giving the guitar a patchy appearance of beige and blue. With its more guitar-shaped body, the blue guitar was turning out to look almost presentable.

"What was Kikyou doing with the blue guitar?" Kagome mused quietly to herself. Inuyasha had said her sister had stolen it. Why would she steal such a hideous guitar when she had a beautiful one of her own?

"It was mine." Inuyasha rubbed a cloth over the fret board to remove some of the wood bits from his sanding. Sometimes, Kagome forgot about those ears of his, or moreover how they could hear a pin drop from 100 miles away.

Inuyasha let out of a gusty breath, ignoring Kagome's rapt gaze in favour of delicately tying off one of the strings. "After I got her last letter…that one you read…I…stopped writing." He shrugged, as if the topic were careless, "she was pretty pissed about that. When her tour ended, she showed up at my doorstep, thinking maybe her letters had gotten lost in the mail."

Losing any pretense of still working on the guitar, Inuyasha ran a hand over his face. "I just…in spite of all the fucking shit I've gone through…I am proud of what I am." He stared out the window. "When I was a kid, I always thought I'd give anything to be…" Seeming to catch his own emotional admission, Inuyasha glared at Kagome, as if it were her fault he said anything, before picking up the next string and carefully measuring it on the guitar.

"So she took your guitar as…compensation?" Kagome baited, hoping he would continue his story.

Inuyasha snorted. "Nah. She dropped it on the ground at her feet and stepped on it." His face took on an ugly sneer as he neatly trimmed the wire and tied it off on the tuning peg. "Said if I was going to waste my talent, there was no point in me having a guitar. That I was a waste of music or something. I was so angry I was seeing red, so I had to leave and go for a run to calm down." He shrugged lazily, "Guess she took it with her when she left. I never saw either of them again, well, before now."

Kagome gasped as Inuyasha gripped one of his hairs and ripped it out carelessly. He measured it out against the length of the guitar and nodded when it pleased him.

"Oh my god." Kagome groaned, "One of the strings is…your hair?"

"What did you expect? I couldn't buy a real guitar, so I had to make it out of whatever was around." He smirked at her, adding the final silver string to complete the new set on the guitar. "You should take a closer look at the red guitar of Miroku's. Made it when I was a kid. Now that's a rustic guitar."

"You…made your own guitar when you were just a boy?" Kagome stared at him in surprise. The best thing she made during childhood was a macaroni portrait of her brother.

"Sure." Inuyasha held up his claws, the index claws taking a menacing glint in the lamplight. "You forget I had built in tools. I didn't go to school or nothin', so I had tons of time on my hands."

"Why the guitar?" Kagome queried, staring up the ceiling while trying to absorb all she had learned.

"Dunno. I heard some guy play it in that old hag's shop one time." Inuyasha paused to quietly strum the strings, tuning each one to the correct pitch. "But he played it all wrong. Tried to force the guitar to play music it didn't want to play. I figured I could play better than that guy, all I needed was one of those instruments."

"I turned out to be pretty good too." He gave a cocky grin at Kagome, who rolled her eyes at him and tossed a sock-ball lazily in his direction. "I didn't really do it for a reason, it was just for fun. Then my mother died…"

He said nothing further and gave the strings an experimental strum. A relatively nice chord resounded from the wooden frame, though a loud grumble still disturbed the tone. Inuyasha experimented with a few chords before he fell into a calm tune, a soft song that was gently lulling Kagome to sleep.

Just as she was starting to nod off, the guitar made a terrible sound that had Inuyasha swearing. Blinking blearily at him, she saw Inuyasha lift his gaze from the guitar to her sleepy face.

He sighed, "Guess it's time for you to go, wench." Setting down the blue guitar, Inuyasha picked up Kagome's coat from the chair it rested on and tossed it to her. He quickly dressed in his, while she awkwardly pulled hers on in a sitting position. Inuyasha strolled over to the couch and scooped Kagome up bridal style. Much to Kagome's surprise, he didn't shuffle her onto his back, rather kept her in his arms as he exited his home and took off into the trees.

"Rest, wench." He kept his gaze straight head as he smoothly bounded between trees.

Feeling suddenly weary, Kagome nodded, laying her head quietly on his collarbone and allowing her eyes to drift shut. The breeze against her face was calming, as was the steady beat of Inuyasha's heart, echoing through the skin she rested against. Without a second thought, Kagome fell asleep.

* * *

This week's trip to the bar had been infinitely better than the last. Kagome happily sipped from her drink as she watched Inuyasha play, his face set in concentration rather than the fierce anguish she remembered from her earlier trips to the bar. If his demeanor wasn't an obvious enough change, the tone of his music had undergone a significant reform. While many of his favorites still held a residue of melancholy, the leisured swing he added to his performance held sweetness, rather than its formerly bitter flavour.

Kagome hadn't even realized she was waiting for the end of his set until he started packing up his guitar. This week he had also failed to play Kikyou's song. Had he too felt the disappearance of her sister's ghost? Could…Inuyasha really be forgetting Kikyou?

The only problem was what should Kagome do now? She didn't have a reason to go up and talk to him, even though she couldn't deny wanting to head up to the stage just like she used to. But that would draw attention to feelings that she was only beginning to accept and she could already feel Miroku and Sango's piercing gazes on her face.

Kagome continued to stare at Inuyasha until he turned to face her. She gave him a bright smile and a friendly wave, hoping it would communicate…well…something to him. Her happiness making her feel daring, Kagome decided it was time to re-enter the poker game.

"Alright guys," she turned to her friends who had just finished their hand. Looked like Miroku was cleaning up tonight "I'm in."

"You sure?" Sango cautioned as she trick-shuffled the deck.

"Yeah, I've been practicing on the computer." Kagome cracked her knuckles in an attempt to appear confident. "I can definitely do this."

This week's prostitute snorted "Just deal her in already. If she wants to give up her money, it's her choice."

Sango gave Kagome one last doubtful look. Kagome gave her a confident nod, adding her money to the ante on the table.

The cards were dealt and Miroku immediately opened with a bet, which the prostitute called. Kagome looked at her cards and then up at Miroku. She didn't have much, but Miroku could definitely be bluffing by opening like that.

Deciding to call his bluff, Kagome declared, "I'll…"

"Fold." Inuyasha interrupted from behind her head.

She turned in her seat to glare at him. "Who's the one playing the cards here, me or you?"

He snorted, "You're the one playing cards like shit." He glared down his nose at her. "Trust me, you should fold."

Kagome sighed and turned away from him. What a situation to be in. If she stayed, it would be like saying she didn't trust him. But if she folded…well Kagome never did take well to being told what to do.

"I…fold." Kagome laid her cards down on the table while Inuyasha took the seat next to her at the table.

"I think it's cheating that the two of you are playing together." The prostitute declared coldly, glaring at Kagome.

"Keh." Inuyasha glared right back, tipping his head forward so only his golden eyes were visible in the shade of the fedora. "I stay with Kagome."

"You can't deny that you have certain…advantages over the rest of us." Miroku suggested slyly. Kagome couldn't help but gasp. Did Miroku know about Inuyasha's mixed heritage?

"I don't know what you're talking about Miroku." Inuyasha snort haughtily "But any advantage you might think I have would be wasted on shitty players like you."

"Now Inuyasha, no need to be insulting." Miroku shuffled the cards.

"Maybe it would be more fair if you helped all of us?" The hooker leaned suggestively towards Inuyasha, causing more of her ample cleavage to spill from her dress. "Would you like to take a look at my…cards, darling?"

Inuyasha leaned back, his body sliding slightly behind Kagome's. "Er…no thanks. I think it's actually fairer this way. Kagome's so lousy that she's practically a handicap."

"What did you say?!" Kagome felt anger and embarrassment ignite a fire in her that grew to a flush in her face.

This time Inuyasha leant away from her. And of course instead of doing the smart thing and apologizing, he decided to stick his foot further in his mouth "What I meant was, you're so bad that any help I give you will just put you on par with everyone else."

Sensing that her friend was about to explode, Sango decided to step in "Let them play together, Miroku." She leveled a glare at him that clearly told him to shut up. Kagome smiled at Sango in thanks for her support.

"Whatever will make you happy, Sango my dove," Miroku responded with a grin as he dealt the cards.

The game continued with little squabbling for the rest of the night. Inuyasha had casually draped an arm over the back of Kagome's chair as he leaned over her shoulder to look at her cards, his head nearly touching hers. In attempt to combat Miroku's astute observation of Kagome's hand, the pair had quickly developed foot signals for when Inuyasha thought she should call or fold. If it meant that their legs had to lie against each other to make the tapping subtle, so much the better.

The problem came when Kagome had a great hand and she was uncertain whether to raise or not. The other players were only checking, which meant they likely didn't have very high cards and a raise could scare them out of the hand. Kagome turned to Inuyasha with a questioning look, their faces so close together she could feel his breath on her cheek. Instead of pulling away, Inuyasha looked at her intently and then drew a single claw up a short distance on the inside of her thigh.

Kagome stopped breathing for a second and really, really hoped that she hadn't let out a moan. From the intrigued but not embarrassed looks on her friends' faces, she guessed she succeeded. Swallowing a knot that had formed in her throat, Kagome turned back to the game to raise.

In the end, Miroku still ended up winning, likely due to the fact that Inuyasha kept telling Kagome to raise when she really shouldn't have. Frowning as she watched Miroku collect his money, Kagome thought that maybe they should make a safer choice like call the more…intimate signal.

The blush that thought inspired drew Sango's attention. She then gave Kagome a questioning look, which Kagome waved off but Sango was insistent. Clearly Kagome was going to have to answer for this one the next time she was alone with her friend.

"Well," Kagome stretched out her arms behind her, "Guess we'd better get going. It's really late."

"I'll take the wench home." Inuyasha informed Miroku and Sango. "You two go ahead."

Kagome made a noise of protest and opened her mouth to detract, but Inuyasha gave her a sharp look that made her close her mouth.

"I'll call you tomorrow Sango." Kagome followed Inuyasha towards the stage, "See you later Miroku."

The young couple bade Kagome and Inuyasha a good night as the pair walked out the back door to the parking lot.

"Mind explaining why you're suddenly ordering me around?" Kagome planted her fists on her waist, her legs apart.

"Keh." Inuyasha shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Miroku obviously wanted to jump her bones. I figured you wouldn't want to be around for that."

"Oh…" Kagome felt embarrassed for Inuyasha remembering their friends' relationship when she seemed to have forgotten. "Well…thanks."

"Whatever." Inuyasha handed her his guitar case with a back strap. "Put this on. We'd better get going."

Swinging the case over her head, the guitar came to lie solidly against her back. Hopping on to Inuyasha's back, Kagome had to balance the extra weight of the guitar by clinging tighter around his shoulders and squeezing her thighs harder around his middle.

At least that's what she told herself.

* * *

Clapping her hands together in delight, Kagome rushed forward to reassure the anxious looking Sango. "You look gorgeous." She gave her friend an appraising eye, holding her arms out to judge the fit. "I knew that Kikyou's old clothes would fit you. You're both taller than I am and…well…"

"Less well-endowed?" remarked Sango dryly, turning side to side in the full length mirror.

Kagome only shrugged in response. "This is the last of Kikyou's stuff I have to get rid of. Seemed a shame just to give up all these beautiful clothes though."

Miroku, who had tagged along with Sango for a chance to see Kikyou's apartment, was noisily watching Iron Chef in the living room. When the sound of his commentary reached the bedroom, Kagome gave a questioning look to Sango, who only rolled her eyes in a don't-ask manner.

"Some of these are really expensive Kagome," Sango felt the material of the designer blouse she wore, "I wouldn't want to just take these from you."

"Nonsense." Kagome dismissed blithely, packing up more of Kikyou's clothes into bags for Sango. "I can't do anything with them. I'd like for someone to use them."

Sango turned to pick up a knee-length pea coat off the bed. Pulling it on, she inspected herself in the mirror. "This one is a bit too small for me. It might look good on you." She took it off and handed it to her friend.

Kagome shrugged on the coat and inspected herself in the mirror. It did fit rather well, although it was a bit snug across the chest. And across the hips, now that she thought about it. Kagome fell into a careful squat, spreading her legs as far as she did when riding on Inuyasha's back. Since it seemed to be her preferred mode of transportation these days, she had might as well make sure the coat could accommodate it.

"What are you doing?" Sango looked puzzled at her friend's odd behaviour.

"Stretching the coat." Kagome responded absentmindedly. It might be too tight across the hips to work. "I have to make sure Inuyasha will still fit between my legs when I'm wearing it."

"What!" Sango screeched.

Kagome blinked and then blushed bright red when she realized what she just said. "Oh no…it's not like that Sango…"

Before she had a chance to explain, Miroku burst through the door. "What's going on?" He shouted, checking the room for anything out of place besides the clothes strewn all over.

Kagome grabbed the opportunity for escape "Sango just realized what time it is!" She grinned, hoping this would work. "Looks like it's time for that…thing you guys had to do." In her embarrassment, Kagome couldn't remember what the hell appointment they had said they had this afternoon.

"The movie?" reminded Miroku, who was distracted from the conversation by staring at the still shocked Sango.

"Yes, yes. The movie." Kagome pushed them both out of the bedroom and towards the door. "You guys just start heading over to the theatre, I'll pack up the rest of the clothes and you can pick them up on your way home."

"But Kagome…" Sango interrupted while putting on her coat in a daze. Kagome wouldn't let her have any leeway.

"Really, you'll want to hurry. Wouldn't want to miss the previews, they're the best part." Practically shoving the two out the door, Kagome closed it quickly behind her and collapsed against the dark wood.

That was too close. How the hell was she going to explain what she said? Would Sango believe that she had simply misheard?

Sighing with defeat, Kagome flopped onto the couch, flinging her arm over her eyes. Why was everything becoming so complicated?

* * *

Kagome carefully juggled her cleaning supplies as she made her way to the small bathroom in Inuyasha's house. Leaving the door open to help air out the chemical fumes, she quickly set to work scrubbing out the sink and toilet. The sounds of Inuyasha tinkering with the blue guitar at the kitchen table carried to Kagome as she moved about.

The guitar really was sounding better. The strings were all intact again and the grumbling that used to issue from the body was gone, leaving a cleaner tone. While not yet deemed 'fixed' by Inuyasha's standards, it was getting awfully close. Kagome braced her hands on the counter and leaned forward slightly as the troubling thought of what would happen when the guitar was fixed came across her mind.

Would she leave? Could she really go back to the solitary life she had led before? She raised her gaze to be faced with the intense stare of her own reflection. The sorrow inspired by the thought of leaving was written plainly on her face. She peered at herself, trying to riddle out everything she had been feeling for the past few days.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha appeared in the doorway.

Distracted, Kagome made a sound of acknowledgement and turned from the mirror to face her interrupter.

"Everything okay?" Inuyasha gave the bathroom a quick glance as if to identify an unseen danger, "it suddenly got really quiet in here."

Kagome smiled at his obvious concern. "Everything's fine. Don't worry."

"I wasn't worried," Inuyasha immediately responded "I just…fuck…I was making sure you weren't dead in here. I got better things to do than deal with your fucking corpse."

Kagome rolled her eyes "Yeah, yeah." She smiled reassuringly when he still didn't leave. "I'm fine. Just a bit lost in thought."

He gave a skeptical look, but when her expression didn't waver he nodded to accept her response and left the doorway. Kagome sighed to herself and shook her head in amusement. She turned back to the mirror to resume cleaning and she had to double take at the difference in her reflection.

Her cheeks were rosy in a blush…could she really be blushing? And her eyes definitely held a sparkle that was absent before…a sparkle? Because of Inuyasha? She recoiled from her reflection, her fingers flying to her mouth as her mind rushed a denial. She couldn't be feeling this way towards that…that…jackass! He was so mean to her in the beginning and…and…

Taking a deep breath, her hand gradually fell back to the counter as she approached the mirror. She assessed the symptoms again and re-diagnosed herself. It was just a crush, Kagome asserted, brought on by all the time she had spent with the unfairly handsome half-demon. It was no big deal. Really.

Kagome sighed and moved away from the mirror to spray chemical cleaner on the wall of Inuyasha's combination shower and bathtub. Her assessment sounded shallow, even to herself. But she just couldn't be falling in love with Inuyasha, she just couldn't! Besides the obvious fact that he was a jerk, there was the whole issue of Kikyou to deal with.

Did he still love her late sister? Did he hate her? Had he sworn off Higurashi women forever? Kagome chuckled a bit to herself at the melodramatic leap of her last statement. She wondered if maybe all the chemicals she was using today were getting to her head. Gingerly she climbed into the shower to rinse off the soap grime.

Not paying attention to the position of any particular knobs, Kagome turned on the water and held her rag under the tub tap to clean off the soap. Instead of the steady stream of lukewarm tap water she expected, she received a deluge of icy water from the showerhead. Kagome shrieked and jumped to the back of the shower. Unfortunately, the slippery tub floor was not the greatest to land on. Kagome clung to the shower curtain as her feet slid out from under her, her arms burning under the strain of stopping her fall. Her weight proved to be too much for the curtain and down they both went with a loud thump.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha appeared beside the tub, quickly turning off the water. He stared down at her sprawled form with a confused look on his face. "Are you alright? What the hell were you doing?"

She ignored his inquiries in favour of rubbing her rather sore back. Cold, tired, sore, and heart-worn, Kagome had to wonder what she had done to deserve this. She was brought out of her self-pity by the sound of…laughing?

Inuyasha braced a hand on the side of the tub, his body shaking with laughter. Kagome felt an embarrassed flush work its way up the back of her neck and bloom on her face. Her embarrassment quickly turned to indignation. "What are you laughing at?!"

He looked up at her as she slapped her hands on the shower curtain. The serious look he had managed to put on his face was belied by the twitching of his mouth and…was that a twinkle in his eye?

Kagome groaned. "Go ahead," she let her head roll back to rest against the tub and she shut her eyes, "laugh it up. Don't try to help me up or anything, it's not like I'm seriously hurt."

The laughing abruptly stopped and Kagome felt clawed hands tugging at her own. Feeling guilty for baiting Inuyasha when he was obviously worried about her, Kagome sighed and allowed him to pull her up and out of the tub. He quickly began checking her for injuries and it was Kagome's turn to laugh.

"Inuyasha," she grinned, "I'm fine! Quit your fussing."

"Seriously Kagome," his smirk of amusement made her doubt how serious his question was going to be, "what the hell were you doing?"

"Um…cleaning the bathtub…" The embarrassment had returned. Honestly, did she her adolescent clumsiness need to return to her in Inuyasha's bathroom, of all places!

He laughed again, a soft sound that was more a body movement than any noise. "You." He smiled at her, pushing an errant strand of wet hair away from her face. "You're a real piece of work."

Kagome pouted at the perceived insult, while Inuyasha just laughed a bit in response. When she looked up from her pout, their amused gazes met and held. Inuyasha's hand that was still resting in her hair moved to lie against her neck, his thumb brushing her jaw.

Kagome stopped breathing, hell she was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating as she and Inuyasha starred at each other. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, gently warming her front where they were almost in contact. His unoccupied hand came to rest on her upper arm, her nerves erupting in delicious sparks when he made contact. Her body started to tremble.

"You're shivering." His voice was husky and deep. Kagome felt drawn towards him, her face tilting up to follow his gaze. Just a few more inches and they…

"I'm wet." Both Kagome and Inuyasha blinked in surprise at her seeming non sequitur.

Inuyasha cleared his throat and flushed as he realized how close they were standing. Releasing his grip on her, Inuyasha stepped back. "Right. I'll…go and get you something to wear…"

Kagome sighed, wondering what would have happened if she hadn't uttered that stupid, stupid phrase. That was just like her, opening her mouth and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Looking in the mirror, she assessed the damage done by her brief stint in the shower. Her hair was still reasonably dry, though it was soaked in some places. The worst off was her shirt. The formerly loose working shirt was now plastered to her figure and, to her dismay, slightly transparent.

She looked the mess her mother always told her she was. Her clumsiness, her occasional lapses in tact, and her inability to correct these faults had always set her mother against her. And were her contrasting factors to Kikyou. Kikyou, the woman Inuyasha had loved.

Sighing, Kagome looked in the mirror again. Gone was the cheerful, confident woman. She was back to being 16 years old in her mother's house, feeling like she would never measure up to her saintly sibling. She grumbled to herself in a mockery of her mother's tone "Kikyou never would have fallen so foolishly."

"No, she wouldn't have." Inuyasha agreed as he reentered the bathroom, startling Kagome. He set the clothes he'd brought on the counter and came to stand behind her, his chest touching lightly against her back. His reflection smiled a small smile while looking at her mirrored eyes. "And that's what makes you Kagome."

Kagome looked down, feeling oddly ashamed. "I know."

His arm reach around her, his fist reaching under her chin to tip her gaze back up to meet his in the mirror. "Not like that, you idiot," he chastised gently, "it's what makes you so…so…"

"Ridiculous?" Kagome glared at him, bracing for an insult "…stupid?"

"Keh." He gave her a half-hearted glare before he quickly turned his head away to stare at his frosted glass window, his hand falling to rest beside hers on the counter. "It's what makes me…trust you. What makes us alike."

Kagome blinked with surprise, her gaze riveted to his reflected expression while his became lost in memory. "Kikyou," he began quietly, "she was so…composed all the time, even when she was young. I…understand now, that she would have always kept me on the outside of her wall."

Inuyasha absently drew his claws up and down her forearm, a frown on his face as he tried to find the words. "Kikyou…didn't like what I was. She wanted everything in her life to be perfect and she always knew exactly how to make it that way. It didn't matter how I treated her, she would have never fully accepted me into her heart until I looked perfect."

He abruptly turned back to stare at her reflection again. Kagome tipped back, unbalanced by the force of his gaze, but his sturdy body was there to hold her in place. "But you, Kagome," a soft blush bloomed on his features and he looked away again, "you just show up and lay everything you've got on the table. Forget keeping people out, you practically fucking drag them in with all your fucking…kindness and…" he trailed off to leave a pregnant silence.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome felt so much affection for him in that moment that she was almost drowning in it. "Thank you." She covered her hand with his on the counter and gave it a squeeze.

Their reflections exchanged a warm smile, Inuyasha capturing her thumb and giving it a quick squeeze in return.

His expression suddenly changed from warm to one of comical disgust. "Ugh. This is cold!" He drew away from her to assess his damp clothing. "Wench! You've gotten me all wet!"

"Wimp," Kagome muttered, glad to feel the lightness back in the air. Her expression became coy as she drawled "Inuyaaasha…" and she opened her arms and ran at him.

"Oh hell no." Inuyasha darted out of her reach and out of the bathroom. "Stay the hell away from me!"

Kagome chased him around the living room a few times before he managed to swerve around her and get into his bedroom to change. Out of breath from both running and laughing, Kagome slid down his door in amused defeat.

In that instant, she gave up fighting. Denial was lost. In a moment of perfect clarity, Kagome realized the truth.

She was falling in love with Inuyasha, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.


	9. Jangling the metal of the strings

Finally Chapter 8 is up! I know it's been a long time coming, but I really hope to finish this series soon. I have a few more ideas I would like to pen out before school starts in the fall and I get busy.

This chapter did not go as planned, as it never does. I hadn't originally planned to make much of the whole Kagome/Kikyou thing in this story but I've actually made it a pretty important issue, so I ended up delving into it in this chapter. This chapter is pretty angsty and Kagome goes through quite a few mood changes, so I hope everyone can keep up.

As always, I hope you read and review. Special thanks to Ai for the unbelievable support of this story! It's readers like you that keep me writing!

Cheers,  
~HoneyBee

* * *

_Ah, but to play man number one,  
To drive the dagger in his heart,_

_To lay his brain upon the board  
And pick the acrid colors out,_

_To nail his thought across the door,  
Its wings spread wide to rain and snow,_

_To strike his living hi and ho,  
To tick it, tock it, turn it true,_

_To bang it from a savage blue,  
Jangling the metal of the strings..._

* * *

Kagome rested her head leisurely against the back of the tub, a soft sigh falling from her lips as she languished in the warm bath water. The soft scent of her bath crystals colored each breath, as the steam from the hot water obscured the world into a dreamy blur. Kagome had never been in a more relaxing situation in her entire life.

Though her expression remained peaceful, her body wouldn't lay still. If her arms weren't swishing beneath the silky surface, then her toes were wriggling where they popped above the water's edge. When Kagome noticed the motion, she forced them still with a thoughtful frown. Certainly after a long day at the café she deserved to rest for one evening, and tonight she had planned to catch up on the R&R that she hadn't had for awhile. A long, warm soak in the bath and a night watching movies in a bathrobe was all that was on the agenda for that night, which was certainly nothing to keep her agitated in the bathtub.

Huffing out a sigh of exasperation at her self, Kagome toyed with the loose string of her loufa that floated lazily in the water. What on earth was the matter with her? Why was she feeling lonely? It seemed like all she did these days was socialize with people. When she was on the road, it may be weeks before she had a decent conversation, depending on the language of the country she was in. Now she couldn't even go a few hours without some company?

Or maybe it was a particular person's company she was looking for? Kagome felt her face heat at the thought, the notion of romantic interest in Inuyasha still too new for her to be entirely comfortable with it. Though the realization of her feelings had come a few days past, Kagome still felt herself reeling from the revelation.

Some days, when he was being a complete asshole, she questioned the true depth of her feelings. It had been awhile since she had sex after all, and Kagome was woman enough to recognize her needs. On those days she was almost able to convince herself it was just her longing to get laid, and nothing romantic at all. And then he would do something so heart-wrenchingly cute that the tidal wave of her affection for him would knock the breath right out of her lungs. In those moments she would wish, with all her heart, that she could just fling herself into his arms and never, ever let him go. And those moments were the ones that terrified her. They were also the moments that she lived for.

The question that always hung heavily around her, even heavier than the humidity from her balmy bath, was what to do about her feelings for him? Again, her plan of action always seemed to depend on the day. One night she would plan out exactly how she was going to tell him how she felt, and other nights she would just decide to jump his bones, however, when he arrived early in the morning, all her courage would die away at the first sight of his golden eyes.

Other days, when he was being difficult or when she was just tired of this life, she would plan to pack up and leave, never telling him of her feelings and forgetting him in a tropical location with an umbrella in her drink. She still wasn't sure that this was the life she really wanted. Was he the man that she could finally love? With all the ghosts haunting her heart, was she even sure there was room for love?

Kagome splashed the water with her toes, an irritated frown darkening her features. She wondered why she was being so…cautious about this. Wasn't she Kagome? The girl who went where her heart led her without a net to fall back on? Did she really want to let this chance at happiness pass her by?

Determination suddenly welled up from her gut, forcing her body to sit up in the tub and her hands clench into strong fist. She would do it. She would tell Inuyasha about her feelings. After all, wasn't the whole point of all her travelling to never live life by only half measures? Hadn't she wanted to make sure she always felt fully alive, every day, so that if she were to ever die unexpectedly there was never any doubt that she had lived?

The questioning was over. It was clearly time for action. Kagome stood from the tub and deftly flicked open the drain as she left. Skillfully wrapping her long hair in a towel, she pulled on her soft robe and exited the warm bathroom, curls of steam trailing into the cool hallway in her wake.

Upon reaching her bedroom, she pushed open the door with a purpose. She wondered if it was too late to call him and tell Inuyasha to come over. Kagome wanted to get this over with before her sudden courage disappeared.

Turning to her mirror, Kagome looked herself dead in the face. "Inuyasha," she kept her gaze steady, "I…I…" her words faltered and her eyes fell to the floor.

Frowning, Kagome set her lips in a determined line and let out a deep, calming breath through her nose. "Inuyasha," the bleak look on her face gave off more a feeling of imminent disaster than a proclamation of love, "I…"

"What?" Squeaking with surprise, Kagome turned towards the source of the sound.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome pressed a hand to her heart with surprise, the added weight of the towel on her head disturbing her balance in the turn. "Don't do that!"

"You said my name!" He responded defensively, "I thought that meant that you saw me!"

Kagome blushed "I…said your name?"

"Yeah, like this," he raised his voice and added a breathiness to it in a mock imitation of her "Inuyasha…I…"

Kagome coloured further. All her conviction to tell him flew out the window with his arrival. How was she going to get out of this? "I…meant to tell you that I thought my bathwater was too warm." Kagome shuffled her feet nervously, "that's why I'm so flushed and…why my voice sounded like that."

For a tense second he just stared at her. Kagome felt her heart speed up at the intensity of his gaze, his eyes boring into her as if he was trying to see her through a billow of smoke.

"hmm…" He mused, stepping closer to her frozen body, "I don't think that's what it was, Kagome." His gold eyes burned on her skin, making her body feel hot despite the open door and the thinness of her dressing gown.

Kagome, suddenly remembering the curve-hugging gown, decided to avoid the whole situation until she could cool the blush on her face. Tipping her body forward, she hid her face behind the towel as she dried her hair off. "Oh?" she tried to remain flippant while her expression was hidden "And what do you think it was, all-knowing Inuyasha?"

When she returned to being upright, she met his gaze. His only response was a slight smirk as he took another step closer. Kagome felt her heart start to stutter in her chest. To keep herself from gaping at him like a fool, she turned towards the mirror and began brushing out her messy hair.

In the reflection she saw Inuyasha turn away from her to fiddle with one of the boxes on her dressing table, apparently taking her grooming habits as a time-out from whatever game they were playing this evening. To say that she was confused was an understatement. To say that she was excited was an even bigger understatement.

When she set the brush down and turned to look back at him, finally feeling grounded enough to create a flirtatious response, she repeated her question in a huskier tone. "I said, what did you think I wanted to say?"

Inuyasha slowly lifted his gaze from to box back to her face. "I think you…" His sentence broke off as he stared at her, his face turning pale. He abruptly snatched his hand back from the table and took two faltering steps back towards the open balcony door.

Kagome, her expression concerned, tried to approach him. "Inuyasha? What's the matter?"

He took the last two steps required to get himself full out the door. "I…have to go."

"What?" Kagome was beyond confused. What had happened in the last minute to change him from, well, mildly flirtatious, to this?

"I…I forgot I…just need to leave." He was refusing to meet her face, instead staring at the concrete of the balcony floor.

"Oh…" Kagome could tell he wasn't getting out of this mood any time soon. "Well…I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes…tomorrow…sure…" he floundered for a response as a final step away from her had him right up against the railing. He still didn't look at her as he leapt off the balcony. Kagome stood at the railing and watched until his shadow disappeared too deep into the night for her to see. Sighing, she rested her head in her palm and considered his sudden disappearance. What had him so spooked? Did…she take the game too far? Did he realize something too serious about her feelings?

Feeling mildly rejected and confused, Kagome quickly moved out of the chilly November night and back into the comfort of the bedroom. Rubbing her arms to bring the warmth back, Kagome shuffled over to her mirror to finish her routine to go to sleep.

When she looked in the mirror, she finally saw what she had forgotten. When her hair was wet, it lost its natural curl and lay straight as an arrow around her shoulders. And when her hair took this shape, she was a dead ringer for a younger Kikyou.

She tore her face away from her reflection harshly, tears pooling in her eyes. Suddenly, Inuyasha's behaviour made sense. He had just had to see her looking like this and it probably brought back all his memories of Kikyou. Would he ever be able to look at her and not see her dead sister?

Depressed, Kagome forgot all about the rest of her night's plans and shuffled over to bed. All she felt like doing any more was falling asleep. Though she would never admit it, in that moment a few tears fell down her cheek.

Her decision crystallized along with the ice around her heart. She would never tell Inuyasha. She would leave.

* * *

Kagome slowly drifted into awareness, her vision clinging to the bleariness of sleep as she blinked and tried to take in her surroundings. The heat of the mid-afternoon sun had made her bed uncomfortable warm as she shifted around beneath the covers. She frowned to herself in confusion. Where was Inuyasha?

Sitting up in bed, she called out, "Inuyasha? Are you here?"

There was no sound from the presumably empty apartment. Turning her head to look at the clock, Kagome picked it up to peer at it in disbelief when she saw the numbers. He had never been this late to come and get her before. Had something happened? Was he sick?

Worried, Kagome sprung out of bed and grabbed the nearest phone. When the line rang and rang and rang, she felt her blood pressure start to rise. What had happened to him?

Just as she was about to dash to the wardrobe to get dressed and hunt for him, Kagome caught her reflection again. Suddenly the events from last night all returned to her and she had to clutch her heart to dull the raw pain that exploded in her chest.

He hadn't come for her. He wasn't coming for her.

Kagome felt her chest curve in under the pain. Her knees gave out so she fell loudly to the carpet. The pain was so unexpected that she hadn't even had a chance to start to cry. And in her grief, she could only find one syllable to express her sadness: "No." she whispered pitifully to the empty room. "No. He can't…it can't be over…no…"

The sorrow was too much, so she dealt with it in the best way she could think of: by getting angry. So he didn't want to see her? Who did that asshole think he was, just leaving her like that! After all she had done for him, all that they'd been through, and he could just walk away like that?

Kagome let out a shriek of frustration and punched the carpet harshly. Her body curved downwards to rest her forehead against the carpet. She breathed violently into the dark cave formed by her body, her own exhalation warming the air around her face. And in that darkness, she pulled strength from within herself and remembered yesterday she had decided to forget him and leave. Her determination leant a coldness that reminded her that this whole situation was for the best. That really, he was just making things easier for her.

Sitting back to rest on her heels, Kagome squared her shoulders and narrowed her gaze. So the asshole wanted to play it this way did he? Well, so much the better for her. At least this way he saved her the awkwardness of good-bye.

She drew herself up to her full height, with her shoulder still square, and she turned her face into the sun. The ache remained, but she stowed it deep in her heart. After all, she had barely loved the guy. Surely it couldn't take that long to get over him? The longing would fade in a few days, she was sure. It was just a touch of heartbreak, nothing that a fun night out with Sango that night wouldn't cure. With determination she nodded her head affirmatively. It was just a bought of melancholy and she could survive this.

After all, she was Kagome Higurashi, and she was a survivor.

* * *

"…Kagome?" Hearing her name, Kagome blinked back to attention.

"I'm sorry Sango," Kagome tried to smile apologetically but even her face muscles didn't feel up to the task. "I just zoned out for a second there. Please, go on."

Sango set down her fork and knife and politely dabbed her face with her napkin. "Kagome," Sango began, her face stern but her eyes gentle, "you've barely paid attention to anything I've been saying. What's going on with you?"

"It's…" Kagome debated whether to discuss what had happened with Sango. While the lawyer was arguably her best female friend, there was something that protested at sharing the story of her painful final night with Inuyasha.

Though Sango honestly looked concerned, Kagome could still see a glimmer of happiness in her eyes, and excited twitch to her mouth. Come to think of it, hadn't there been a reason Sango had called her out tonight? Wasn't there some exciting news? Kagome glanced around the fancy restaurant that she had been eating in. What kind of a friend would she be if she rained on Sango's parade? Besides, she had decided to put all this mess with Inuyasha behind her. She had tried calling a few more times of the couple of days and still no response. She was a free woman again, and by god she was going to enjoy it!

So she did what she thought a good friend would do: fib. "It's…just Inuyasha." Kagome gave her friend a wry smile and shrugged one shoulder. "We had another fight. You know how it is."

Sango looked thoughtful, "I thought you guys were getting along much better now."

Kagome forced a slight laugh. "Well I think two people with our tempers are bound to fight every once and awhile," she waved her hand in dismissal, "please don't worry about it Sango."

Kagome willfully forced her sadness to the back of her mind, and for the first time that night she felt curious about what her friend's news might be. "Now tell me Sango. To what occasion do we dine tonight?"

Sango smiled a smile bright enough to temporarily clear away the rest of Kagome's dark melancholy. "Kagome," she leaned forward for dramatic effect, "Miroku and I are…engaged."

"What!" Kagome shrieked. She extended two hands towards her blushing friend, "Oh my god! Congratulations! Show me the ring!"

Sango bashfully extended her hand across the table. Kagome gripped it with two hands, both to inspect the ring better and to steady her shaky nerves. When she saw the rock, Kagome whistled low. "Wow, that's a keeper, that is."

Sango withdrew her hand and looked thoughtfully at the ring, spinning it around her finger. "I was worried at first that it was a bit much. Especially for work." A pleased smile poked up the corner of Sango's lips, "but it really is beautiful, isn't it?"

Kagome laughed, "Yes, yes it is!" Feeling playful, Kagome gave Sango a sly look "Where did he get it? Some French widow pawn it at his shop?"

Sango swatted her hand in joking reproach. "He promised me that it wasn't from his shop, but you know what?" she leaned in close again, confiding in a mock whisper "I wouldn't care if it was."

"Neither would I!" Kagome affirmed, grinning as she leaned back in her seat and held up her wine glass. "Here's to your happiness!"

"I'll drink to that!" Sango agreed brightly, tipping her glass to knock against Kagome's with a loud clang.

Later that dinner, when the playful ribbing died down, Sango twisted her wine glass thoughtfully before flicking her gaze up to make sure she had Kagome's attention. "I…never thought that I would get married." She admitted quietly.

"Why ever not?" Kagome questioned, honestly puzzled. Kagome didn't think there was a man alive who would resist Sango, if her friend ever gave them the time of day.

"Well, I don't know." Sango shrugged, looking to the side. "I guess I thought that…well after Kohaku's death that I would never feel any love for another person again…"

Sango's eyes became unfocused and she smiled dreamily, while it was all Kagome could do to keep from crying. Everything Sango was saying was admittedly all hitting a little too close to home. "But Miroku…I sometimes can't understand why I love him because he just makes me so angry!" Sango laughed and Kagome attempted a commiserating chuckle. Sango twirled the ring around her finger again "But I really do."

Sango took a sip of her wine while Kagome clenched her hands in her lap in an attempt to steady herself. Thinking about Inuyasha now would only end up ruining the evening and she couldn't do that. She just couldn't.

"At first, I didn't even like the guy. Didn't want him within 10 feet of me! Then I end up getting engaged to him!" Sango laughed happily at the irony of the situation. She locked eyes with Kagome and offered her a warm smile. "And we met because of you. You and your Blue Guitar."

"The Blue Guitar…." Kagome mumbled miserably. She had forgotten all about it in her melancholy. What would be the fate of that woebegone guitar?

Grinning mischievously, Sango lifted her glass high. "To the Blue Guitar," she offered in a toast.

Sighing, Kagome also raised her glass "To the Blue Guitar," she agreed. After the obligatory clink, Sango took a savouring sip of her wine and Kagome knocked back the entire contents of what was left in her glass.

* * *

Kagome let the door to the travel agency fall closed behind her as she eyed her newly purchased plane ticket. Confirming the date that she would be leaving this Thursday, Kagome's mind already span with all the last minute things she would have to cram together before she left. She had already decided that she would keep Kikyou's apartment, at least until the next time she was in town to arrange it's sale. She had considered giving the apartment to Sango, but at the moment it didn't seem like a place for happy memories. It seemed more like a mausoleum.

Placing the ticket carefully inside her large purse, Kagome's mitten-covered hands adjusted her white toque. Glancing around the grey downtown street, Kagome realized that she was just a block away from Kaede's shop. Mindful of the fact that she had less than a week left in the city, Kagome figured she should take the opportunity to say good-bye to Kaede and thank her for all her help.

Rubbing her mitts together for warmth as she walked, Kagome considered what she would tell the old woman about her abrupt departure. Though she had confided in Kaede once before, this problem seemed too emotional to seek the advice of the older woman. It had been almost a week with no word from Inuyasha. Kagome knew what she had to do and had already made her decision. All that was left was to bid her friends farewell.

Kagome paused for a moment to collect herself before pulling open the door to Kaede's shop. A gust of warmth rushed out to greet her, heavily laced with the wooden scent of the antique guitars. Pulling the shop door closed behind her, Kagome smiled with delighted surprise as she removed her mitts and unfastened her coat. She had never heard Kaede play guitar before, but judging by the music coming from the closed door to the back room, the old woman really knew how to play.

Excited by the thought of a final concert, Kagome hurried across the showroom to the plain brown door.

As she pulled it open, Kagome declared, "Why Kaede, I never knew you played guitar so…" The sentence trailed off as she realized who the guitar player really was. "…Inuyasha?"

They stared blankly at each other for a few moments before Kaede took charge of the situation. "I'm afraid I wasn't the one playing the guitar, Kagome." Kaede smiled good-naturedly through the palpable tension in the room "I would introduce you, but I believe you have already met."

Kagome, who felt her supposedly frozen heart lurch unsteadily at the sight of Inuyasha, forced herself to remain strong. Did she forget why she was here in the first place? Pulling herself up until her spine was ramrod straight, Kagome responded stiffly "Yes. I do know Inuyasha." She turned to look at him and with force politeness inquired "And how have you been, Inuyasha?"

He looked away, shamefaced. "Fine." He mumbled lowly, strumming his fingers along the guitar nervously.

Kaede, who was apparently impervious to the chill in the room, smiled again. "Young Inuyasha was just showing me what he has learned in the years since we have seen each other." Kaede walked towards the frozen Kagome and gripped her arm with her aged, dry hand. "Do you not think his new guitar is beautiful, Kagome?"

Kagome blinked away from Inuyasha's averted face to look quizzically at Kaede. "New guitar?" She turned her attention back to Inuyasha and gasped. "The Blue Guitar!"

Forgetting completely that she was angry beyond belief at him, Kagome couldn't help but grin at the completed guitar. "It's finished?" she asked Inuyasha brightly. When he nodded in dumbfounded response, Kagome clapped her hands together in delight. "It's finished!"

She held out her hands for the guitar and Inuyasha cautiously handed it over. Kagome eyed it critically, but she was being completely honest when she thought it was beautiful. Taking it over to Kaede's workbench, she held it under the light to get a good look at it. The uneven edges that formerly plagued its shape had been smoothed to graceful curves that dipped and turned with acoustic perfection. Each of the strings was neatly tied and crisply in tune as Kagome ran her fingers across them. The neck had been stabilized and the fret markings were cleanly defined, complete with well-worn grooves between the strings for Inuyasha's fingernails.

Kagome couldn't believe it. She had actually done it. She had fulfilled Kikyou's final request. She hugged the guitar to herself in disbelief. It was finally done.

She turned to the nervous Inuyasha and saw him not as the man who she had loved, nor as the man who broke her heart, but rather as the man who had helped her finish a task that had at one point seemed so impossible. She saw him as a man with whom she had beaten the odds. And for that instant, nothing else mattered.

Setting the guitar carefully aside, she approached him. Inuyasha seemed to battle within himself whether he should shy away or remain still. When Kagome finally reached him, she made the choice for him. Wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, Kagome buried her face in his chest. "Thank you." She whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Before Inuyasha could break from his surprise to respond, Kagome had given him a final squeeze and moved back over to the guitar. She ran her fingers over its graceful lines. "Kaede," she whispered, her voice too horse to allow for any louder sound, "You were right. This guitar is beautiful. So very, very beautiful."

"I was going to give it to you," she continued, with a watery smile at the elderly woman, "but I think I know where it belongs now."

Holding the guitar out by both hands, she handed it back to Inuyasha. "This guitar belongs with you." She smiled at him softly as he cautiously approached the outstretched guitar. "It was originally belonged to you right? Well, now you can have it back."

"Kagome," he spoke in a low quiet tone, "I fixed it for you. It is yours now." He tried to push it back into her hands. Kagome pushed back harder and then released the guitar when he had it in his grip.

"I want you to keep it." She tried to smile but couldn't do it without letting out a small sob. "So you can remember Kikyou. And…the time you had together. And the love you still…still have for her."

With her heart was breaking all over again, Kagome couldn't help but add "And maybe, you know sometimes, you might…remember me too. When you see it. You know…just…sometimes."

Feeling the need to escape after her emotional admission, Kagome turned away from Inuyasha to face Kaede. "I came here to thank you for everything, Kaede. You have been a very dear friend to me and I never would have fixed the Blue Guitar without you." She drew the smaller woman into a warm hug, hoping to convey the depth of her gratitude in the gesture of affection.

She turned back to Inuyasha and her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a sob. "Inuyasha…" her heart felt a longing so strong that she was surprised he wasn't pulled in by its force. "…good-bye."

Kagome flew from the shop in a fit of tears, never planning to return there ever again.

* * *

Kagome's brow creased with indecision as she looked between the two boxes of granola bars. Deciding whether to carry the apple bars or the s'more bars was becoming a ridiculously difficult task. Sighing, she ripped open both boxes and poured half of each into two plastic bags and chucking them into her already overstuffed hiker's backpack. Zipping up the bag, Kagome winced at its weight as she tossed it on her back to heft it back to her room. The bag was already uncomfortably heavy and she hadn't even put her clothes in it yet.

Pushing open the door to her room, Kagome dropped the bag ungracefully on the floor. She knew she should be packing for her early flight tomorrow, but her heart just wasn't in it. It could be that she was still reeling emotionally from her tearful farewell to Sango and Miroku earlier that day. She had promised to return to the city, at least for their wedding. She also had splurged on a handy new device to help her keep in contact with her friends.

Kagome eyed her sat phone happily, pleased that the satellite-provided network would allow her to remain in touch. Turning away from the phone on her bed, Kagome turned back to her closet for the difficult task of decided what went with her and what got left behind.

Her first plane ticket would take her to a lovely tropical isle, which led her to pack her bathing suit and a few pairs of shorts that had been stowed away for the city's winter. Considering she didn't know when she would be back to get her things, she also decided to include one or two of her warmer sweaters and a couple pairs of jeans.

Picking a sweater without really looking at it, Kagome tossed it halfheartedly towards her bed. She let out an exasperated sigh when it missed and fell into a heap on the other side of the bed. Chucking the other sweater onto the bed, Kagome went to retrieve the crumpled clothing with a gloomy expression on her face.

The reason for her melancholy was simple: it was Wednesday. And no matter what had happened between them, good or bad, Kagome had been going to see Inuyasha play on Wednesday for so long that it felt horrible to not go that night. But she just couldn't. Her poor heart couldn't take any more.

So here she was, packing up her life again. Depositing the sweater back on the pile, she wandered over to where she had left her beer on the nightstand. She had a feeling that liquor was going to be necessary to get through this.

4 beers, 2 shots of tequila, and 1 box of tissues later and Kagome was completely packed for her trip. She smiled with pride at her accomplishment before dissolving into giggles ridged with sobs. It was all rather hilarious, really, how quickly she could go from considering staying there permanently to taking off again.

She looked at her alcohol-tinged complexion in the mirror and pointed at her reflection, smiling. "If only Inuyasha could see you now!" She commented to it. "He would never mistake you for Kikyou!"

Falling back lazily onto her bed, Kagome kicked off her pants and pulled her shirt clumsily over her head. Deciding that sleeping was the best idea that she had heard in a long time, Kagome crawled beneath the covers and pulled them tightly about her face.

"Tomorrow I'll be free," she promised herself. "Tomorrow I will take to the skies."

* * *

Kagome blinked around her dark room in disorientation, trying to figure out what had woken her up. Looking over at the giant crack in her balcony's glass door, she had a pretty good clue even before her gaze traveled further into the room to meet a very angry golden glare.

"Where the fuck were you, bitch?" Inuyasha growled, advancing towards the bed with his shoulders set in an aggressive stance.

Kagome just sighed. "Go away." She turned over to face away from him and hoped this was all just a nightmare.

He growled in frustration. "Where were you tonight, bitch?" he repeated. As if the single reduction in profanity would change her response.

Kagome snuggled further in her blankets and said nothing.

Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder and pulled it so she was facing towards him, her face a few inches from his. "I asked where you were, Kagome." He snarled.

She blinked at him for a moment, trying to affect a cool attitude. "I was here. Packing. Was there somewhere else I was supposed to be?"

"Was there…you bitch!" He growled at her and she pretended it wasn't sexy. "It's Wednesday! Why the fuck weren't you at the fucking bar!"

Her cool façade cracked and she sat up in the bed to glare at him. "Why wasn't I there? Why wasn't I there!" She shrieked, ignoring the way his ears flattened to his head in defense of the pitch of her voice. "Gee, maybe it's because I thought I wasn't goddamn wanted nor welcome by your selfish ass. You asshole! How dare you come here and ask me that!" Kagome shoved him away from her and stood up. She jabbed a finger into his chest. "I think you've made yourself abundantly clear that you didn't want me around. And you know what? I don't want you around either! So get out!"

"Don't want you around!" Inuyasha yelled, his hand coming up to stop her from poking him in the chest. "Where the fuck do you get that from?"

"Oh dear god!" Kagome screamed in frustration. She covered her face with her hands for a minute, taking a deep breath before letting them drop. Feeling a bit calmer, she turned to him with a cold fire in her eyes. "Forget it. Please, just leave. I have an early flight tomorrow and I would like to get some sleep."

"Flight?" This seemed to take some of the fire out of Inuyasha. "You're leaving?"

Kagome sighed, "Yes, in the morning. So if you could just…"

"…You aren't leaving." Inuyasha interrupted, quietly at first and then more fiercely when he repeated it "You aren't leaving!"

"Yes, I am." Kagome calmly declared, trying to keep herself in check. "I've already packed and I have everything…hey!" she called after Inuyasha as he grabbed her bag and dragged it out to the balcony.

"What are you doing?" Kagome screamed, trying to pull the bag away from Inuyasha's strong grip. "That's my bag!"

Without even pausing to look at her, Inuysha threw the bag over the side of the balcony. Kagome reached after it but she was too slow. She only got to the edge in time to watch all her belongings explode out of the bag as it hit the ground below.

"Inu..YASHA!" She screamed, "What the fuck is the matter with you!"

"You aren't leaving." He repeated firmly, gripping both her arms with his strong hands.

"Fuck you!" She spat, her hands balled in fists and punching his chest. "I'm getting away from you! Tomorrow!"

"You can't leave, bitch" he yelled in return, "You can't leave me!"

This slowed Kagome down. Panting, she blew some hair out of her face to stare up at his gaze. "What?"

"I…uh…said that you can't leave…me…" Inuyasha looked away from her searching face.

Kagome felt her lip turn in a cruel smile "Can't stand to lose your last chance to be with Kikyou, can you?" She laughed a dark laugh, "Or at least someone that looks like her."

"What? Kagome, no… it's not like that!" Inuyasha looked at her so intensely that she would have thought it would cause her body to tilt backwards, and yet some how she ended up leaning closer to him.

"Admit it, I-nu-ya-sha." She taunted him, the alcohol apparently still dancing through her bloodstream, making her mouth deadly honest. "Can't have the original so you settle with, how did you put it, a clumsy, awkward, gullible, and useless bitch."

"No…Kagome…" he took her face between his hands to force her to look at him.

"Leave." She mumbled miserably, a few tears leaking from the sides of her eyes.

"I won't." He whispered, leaning closer until their breath formed a shared cloud in the small space that separated them.

"…I can't." he murmured before his dangerous mouth closed on hers.

The kiss started tentatively as Inuyasha pressed his lips against Kagome's, asking for acceptance. There was only an instant of hesitation before she responded, pressing her body fully against his as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She fused their mouths together more fully, and with a growl of approval, Inuyasha met her ardor with equal force. He entangled his hand into her hair and lightly tugged it back, tipping her face back to an angle that let him better ravish her mouth. When she opened her mouth, he responded harshly in kind, his tongue tasting every corner of her mouth as hers stroked it soothingly.

Inuyasha jolted with surprise when one of Kagome's wandering hands found his bum and gave it a light squeeze. Taking advantage of the drop in his guard, Kagome took up the attack on his lips, straining on her tiptoes to keep her lips locked to his. Kagome moaned with appreciation as Inuyasha slid his hands along her thighs before easily hoisting her up to his level, her bare legs wrapping naturally around his narrow waist.

Kagome slid her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck, luxuriating in the softness as she licked and kissed the bared expanse of his neck. Sucking carefully on the spot just below his jaw, she savoured the sound of his responding groan.

"Oh…Kagome…" he whispered, her name little more than an exhalation from his lips. They were fully within the bedroom now, and Inuyasha was steering them towards the bed.

When they reached the edge of the bed, he laid her down on it with such adoration that Kagome felt her heart clench with affection. "Kagome…I…" he searched her face, as if the unspoken words would be written on it. Kagome met his gaze until she dipped her chin and pressed her lips to his again. Keeping her lips sealed to his, Inuyasha carefully lowered himself on top of her. Gingerly settling his weight down, he bent his arms to rest his elbows on the bed, his arms forming a frame around her face. He pushed the bangs out of her eyes gently, his thumb brushing the skin and making her nerves tingle deliciously.

The stared at each other for a minute before Kagome reached up to brush his lips delicately with her own. When she pulled back, they smiled at each other.

Settling his weight more heavily on her stomach, Inuyasha smirked down at her flushed face. "Well, now you really ain't leaving. I ain't going to let you up!"

Kagome blinked at him for a moment before she laughed for the first time in what felt like years. Smirking, he rolled him to the side, one of his arms keeping her body ensnared close to his as he moved. Once he settled at her side, Kagome threw one leg over his waist, while her other hand trailed up his chest to rest lightly over his heart. In response, Inuyasha snaked one hand under her waist and the other over top of her chest to meet in a tight lock at her side. He squeezed her tightly once, burying his face deep in her hair and taking a calming breath.

"You aren't leaving." He reassured himself quietly, sleepiness infusing his voice and punctuating the sentence with a yawn.

Snuggling deeper into his arms, Kagome smiled softly. "No, I'm not."


	10. One sits and plays the Blue Guitar

Yeah, okay, allow me to apologize first for the lateness of this post. I had half the chapter written for ages, but the truth is I only want to publish this story when I feel it is at its best. I hope the fluff of this chapter will be enough to make it up to all of you. I also hope you all know that I would never give up on a story. If I've started it, I will finish it, which is why I'm so reluctant to start writing the ideas I carry around with me all the time.

Some of you have been asking me about the text at the beginning of the chapters. It's from the poem The Man With The Blue Guitar by Wallace Stevens. As far as I know it's never been turned into a song. It's actually really long and I've kind of chopped the crap out of it down to the parts that I like for the story. I write the chapter first and then look for the part of the poem I think matches. I'm actually running out of poem before I run out of ideas, haha so I'll have to start scouring the verses again soon.

As always, please read and review.

~HoneyBee

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or The Man With The Blue Guitar

* * *

_One says a German chandelier --  
A candle is enough to light the world._

_It makes it clear. Even at noon  
It glistens in essential dark._

_At night, it lights the fruit and wine,  
The book and bread, things as they are,_

_In a chiaroscuro where  
One sits and plays the blue guitar._

_

* * *

_

The low rumble of Kagome's vibrating cell phone forcibly dragged her from her peaceful deep sleep. Flinging her arm haphazardly towards her nightstand, she groped around the various items until she landed on the culprit. Parting her heavy lids enough to check her call ID, Kagome read the glowing letters in the dark of the room. Why on earth would Sango be calling at such an insane hour?

Just as she decided to answer the call, the vibrating abruptly stopped. Sighing with relief, Kagome set the phone back down and her eyes drifted shut as she lowered herself back onto the mattress and re-nestled into the curve of Inuyasha's neck.

Suddenly realising the presence of another person in her bed, Kagome eyes shot open and her body tensed. With squinted eyes, Kagome was able to make out his shape in the dark. There was no doubt about it, Inuyasha was sleeping in her bed. She was pretty sure she should be upset about that, but all she really wanted to do was go back to sleep. And it felt so...right to have him sleeping there beside her and have him be the first thing she saw when she woke up. Still...what was he doing there? Kagome's foggy mind was still trying string together the loose threads of her memories when the phone started to vibrate again.

Sneaking a quick look up at Inuyasha's face to see if he was still asleep, Kagome slowly picked the phone up off the nightstand. Settling down to lay on his bicep, facing his chest, Kagome raised the phone to her ear and answered the call.

"Mmm...Sango?" It wasn't exactly polite, but it was the best she could slog out of her muddy brain.

"Kagome?" Sango somehow managed to sound perfectly alert at this inhuman hour. "Are you up?"

"Um..." Pausing for a moment to try to determine if that was the best definition of her current state, she just groaned, "Well, I'm...awake..."

Sango laughed. "I knew you would have trouble getting up!" She accused playfully, "didn't I say to take a later flight? I called you to make sure you didn't miss it."

"Flight?" Kagome asked blearily, trying to remember. Something about a trip she was supposed to take...?

Sango laughed again. "You know, your holiday? Getting away from the city and all that?"

"Oh. Right. My flight." Inuyasha's arms tightened around her slightly. Kagome's thoughts were growing fuzzier and her attention was slipping. "I'm....not going."

"Not going?" Sango paused for a moment in confusion. "I see."

"Yeah..." Kagome murmured sleepily in response. Kagome pinched a bit of Inuyasha's shirt between the fingers of her hand and twisted it idly.

"Well, can't say I'm sorry to hear that." Sango sounded very pleased and couldn't seem to help but slyly add. "Say hello to Inuyasha for me."

"Mmm..." she responded in agreement before the heavy hand that had been resting pleasantly at her waist came up and plucked the phone from her ear. Inuyasha flicked the phone shut and reached over her to place it on the nightstand.

When he lay back down, Kagome rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled a sleepy smile at him. He smiled back uncertainly, his eyes looking conflicted. Flicking his gaze over her head, presumably at the clock, he opened his mouth, closed it, and then asked in a quiet voice, "You could still make it, if we hurry."

Groaning, Kagome laid her head back down on his shoulder. "You...shouldn't eavesdrop." She snuggled closer to him sleepily.

"I'm serious Kagome." From having her ear pressed against him, she heard the words through his body. It sounded like being underwater. "Kagome?"

"Mmm...?" She was pretty sure Inuyasha was still talking, but decided he could repeat whatever it was in the morning before she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

When Kagome opened her eyes that morning, her vision focused on a grey sky and delicate diamond flecks on her windows from a gentle rain. Snuggling further into her pillow, Kagome smiled softly in enjoyment of the sight, made more pleasant by the gentle guitar music in the room.

Tipping her chin to her chest, Kagome spied the source of the soundtrack for her morning view. Inuyasha sat at the foot of the bed, one foot on the floor while the other turned under him, the guitar falling neatly in the vee of his knee. His eyes were firmly fixed on the rain as he played, though he seemed barely aware of his movements, lost deep in the labyrinth of his own thoughts. She studied him in his distraction, the mysterious glow of his eyes in the half-lit room, and the slight, attention-stealing smile turning up his lips.

Content to watch him, Kagome let herself nestle into the moment. She took careful note of every sensation, right down to the slight rustling of her sheets when his weight occasionally shifted, hoping it would somehow help the memory to set in her synapses.

Adjusting carefully into a sitting position with as little noise as possible, Kagome winced when she saw his right ear twitch in her direction. Rather than stopping abruptly, he played the song through a gentle diminuendo before his hand stilled on the strings. He seemed to give one last long out the window before turning to look at her.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, neither seeming sure what should be said. Kagome decided to start somewhere easy. "Good Morning."

"...Morning." He responded, his voice rough and quiet. Kagome gave him a bright smile, to which he answered with a shy smile and the turn of his head away from her.

"So..." what to say afterwards was less easy. Does she ask what they're doing now? Does she ask him to stay for the afternoon? Should she transition into easy small talk? The options were endless and somehow they all seemed incorrect.

"...yeah." Well it was a small comfort that he seemed as lost for words as she was. It also unfortunately meant that it was probably up to her to find something to say.

Just as she had decided to give up and go for the small talk, Inuyasha looked down at the guitar and started toying with one of the strings. "So, I guess I should explain what happened...you know...before..."

Kagome tilted her head in confusion, not really sure what 'before' he was talking about. "When you kissed me?"

"No." He responded quickly, blushing. "Does...that need explanation?"

"No." Kagome blushed in response. At least she hoped it didn't. Come to think of it...maybe it did...but judging by the urgent look on his face, she should try to guess again. "When you threw my bag over the balcony?"

"No." He snapped, shifting in embarrassment. "Before that."

She considered snapping at him and just telling him to get it out and get it over with, but judging by all his fidgeting he was uncomfortable enough already, so she decided to throw her dog a metaphorical bone. "When...you were ignoring me all week because I looked like Kikyou?"

"What?" He whipped his body around to stare at her. "That didn't happen. What are you talking about?"

Kagome frowned. "This whole past week, you've been ignoring me like the plague. Ever since that night you came here and I..." she hesitated, but the lack of comprehension on his face egged her on, "my hair was straight, so I looked like Kikyou. You freaked out and left."

"That wasn't what happened!" He sounded exasperated, frustrated, and desperate in one exclamation, if such a thing were possible.

By now Kagome was pretty angry. She was willing to forgive, hell even accept his inability to look at her and not see Kikyou, if that was the only way that she could be with him. The least he could do is make it easier for her by admitting to it! "It was sure what it looked like to me. Care to explain?" She drawled the question, disbelief clear on her face.

"I already told you I don't see Kikyou when I look at you," He hissed in anger, "why can you never just believe me?"

Kagome rose to her knees on the bed and put her hands on her hips. "Because you didn't see your face and I did! You freaked out so badly I thought you were going to pass out! Then I look in the mirror and I see Kikyou staring back at me. How else was I supposed to think?"

Inuyasha blew his breath out of his nose noisily. "I don't believe you, bitch" he growled, "You were the only one who saw Kikyou that day. I left because I...wanted you too much and it freaked the shit out of me."

Kagome snorted in disbelief. Who did this guy think he was kidding? Wanted her too much? As if she wasn't clearly throwing herself at him. She was pulled abruptly from her thoughts when he grabbed her forearms and pulled her towards him across the bed. "Inuyasha? Wha..."

He cut of her sentence by sealing his mouth over hers, his lips hard and urgent against her own. She tilted her head to try to be more comfortable as he moved his mouth over hers. When one of his fangs brushed against her lower lip, she let out a low moan in response to the foreign sensation. This seemed to shake Inuyasha from his daze and he pulled away from her.

"My...demon side," he looked down with a guilty expression, "I can't control it when I'm around you. That night by the mirror...it...well...it talked to me...about you. That it...that I...wanted you."

Kagome felt her sharp intake of breath at his admission, delicious electricity starting to tingle in her nerves. She was about to reach out to take him into her arms when he abruptly stood and almost toppled her over.

"It reminded me of what I am." He put his back to her and faced the window. "A freak. A half-breed. Dirty blood." His face twisted into a dark expression she never wanted to see on him. "I could never, ever deserve to touch you. So I left and stayed away."

They stood in silence for a moment, Kagome still kneeling on the bed and Inuyasha with his back solidly facing her. Kagome's brain seemed to stutter over what to say next. Apparently taking her silence as rejection, Inuyasha murmured "I guess I should have stayed away" and started walking towards the sliding doors.

Kagome jolted into action, leaping off the bed only to run into his back when he wasn't quite as far away as she thought he was. She wrapped her arms quickly around his waist, both to stabilize her and to keep him from moving. Kagome squeezed him hard around his middle, laying her cheek in the space between his shoulder blades. "Wait."

He turned slowly in her arms until he was facing her, his eyes boring down on her when she tilted her chin up to look at him. "What?"

"How...could you ever think I didn't want you too?" she asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

He sharply inhaled, his eyes searching her face for deception. Looking away, his shoulders lightly shrugged as he seemed to relax. "Kikyou said..."

Kagome reached up with her hand to cover his mouth. "I don't care what Kikyou said about you, or about me, or about anything. We are the ones who are here now. This is our life. And I refuse to let her screw this up for me the way she's screwed up everything else."

Grabbing the hair that fell over his shoulder, Kagome none-too-gently pulled his face down to hers. She kissed him fully, sliding her arms around his neck to hold him there but he didn't seem to be resisting. "You're mine now, Inuyasha. And I don't share, even with memories."

This seemed to be the right thing to say, because at that moment the most mischievous, the most daring, and the most sexy smirk slid onto his tempting lips. "I'm yours, huh?"

Looking up into his eyes that were so intently focused on her, Kagome felt heat and want zing through her veins and settle down deep in her bones. She quickly remembered how little clothing she was wearing when his claws started sliding up and down her bared sides, causing her body to curve towards his at the enjoyable sensation. He bent down to kiss her again, his mouth less demanding and more playful, the sensation leaving her smiling when he pulled away.

She carefully moved out of his hold, keeping one of his hands captive as she led him back towards the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she kissed him, the awkward angle forcing him to bend over her and brace himself with his arms on either side of her body. She scooted towards the headboard, slowly enough to hopefully not startle him. He kept on above her, and when she had made enough space, he lowered himself on top of her. His weight was not oppressive, and it heightened her awareness of him to the point where the pressure between her legs was becoming unbearable. She wanted him and she wanted him NOW.

"So...if you're done with talking," she whispered, her voice warm and teasing. Noticing the way his body was pressed against her and the heated darkness in his gaze, Kagome decided to take the plunge. Licking her lips, she coyly looked up at him through her lashes and admitted, "I can think of much better things to be doing with that mouth."

He looked at her in surprise for barely an instant before groaning in defeat and crashing his mouth down on hers. It wasn't the most graceful kiss in the world, and Kagome had to wiggle her head a bit to get her nose free so she could still breathe, but it was consuming in its intensity to the point where technique didn't matter. Nothing mattered, except the heat of his mouth, the weight of his body against her, and the gentle scratch of his claw tips against her skin when his hands came up to frame her face.

He was obviously inexperienced, his kisses somewhat messy and he was a bit too rough with his tongue after she willingly parted her lips for him to enter. Kagome patiently demonstrated how to move his lips so they massaged hers, sending curls of pleasure slithering through her system. He was certainly a quick study, figuring out how to slide his tongue against hers to make her clutch at the base of his neck in desperation, and that if he nipped and sucked at her lower lip, she would release a wanton groan and arch her body against him.

Sliding his arms around her waist while her body weight was raised off the mattress, Inuyasha rolled Kagome over top of him, her hips straddling his stomach as she leaned over his body to keep her lips crushed to his. His hands rested possessively on her hips, the pads of his fingers making idle circles on the bare skin exposed above her panties. Lying down to fully press her breasts against his chest, Kagome kissed the underside of his jaw, giggling at his answering growl. Running her tongue along his jaw line, Kagome then sucked and licked the side of his neck, right over the pulse point. She felt his blood throbbing against her mouth and the rumble of his low growl of pleasure.

Keeping her lips and teeth nipping at his neck, she reached up with her hand, flicking open the first button of his shirt. Kagome shifted her attention to his bared collarbone, her lips gently brushing along the sensitive skin of his neck as she moved. She deftly unfastened those buttons that remained before dragging her fingers from the waistband of his jeans up his chest to his stroke his broad shoulders. Cradling his chin between her warm hands, Kagome softly brushed her lips teasingly against his, giving him only the lightest of contact. She pressed a firm kiss to the corner of his mouth and he growled in response before propping himself up slightly to be able to crush his mouth against hers properly.

Taking advantage of his new position, Kagome reached behind him and yanked the shirt off his shoulders, her fingers following the fabric over the definition of his arms to pool at his wrists. When he sat up fully to pull the shirt over his hands, Kagome adjusted to fit into the cradle of his hips, thrusting against his hardness.

He groaned, his bare arms wrapping around her waist to crush her against him as he tipped her head with a forceful kiss. Kagome responded by thrusting her tongue into his mouth and pushing back against him, evening the level of their faces as she slid her hands into his hair. The feel of her nearly-bare chest against his was indescribable as she writhed against him, the sliding of his hands up and down her exposed midsection leaving electric tingles and goosebumps in their wake. When his palms came to rest on her ribcage, her breath caught in her chest as her nerves sparked with anticipation.

When he didn't move any further, Kagome paused in confusion. Pulling back, Kagome couldn't help but smile at the uncertain and shy look on his face that contrasted with the urgent need simmering below the surface. Without taking her eyes from his, Kagome reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Allowing her breasts to fall free, Kagome discarded it to somewhere in the room. Feeling a bit self-conscious, but determined not to let it show, Kagome brought her gaze up to meet Inuyasha. He stared at her with such intensity that she felt as if she might burst into flames from the sheer heat of it.

Slowly, his hands travelled up her sides until his thumb brushed the underside of her breast. Moaning, Kagome's head tipped back as her spine curved in response to his delicate ministrations. One of his arms slid around the arch of her lower back, pushing her stomach more fully against him to better support her as pleasure made her body limp and pliable. He rested the underside in his palms, his fingers gentle closing around to knead her sensitive breast.

Holding her against him, Inuyasha rolled them over again, his hair falling freely over his shoulder to form a thick curtain to the side of her face. When she had looked away at the distraction, his hand had moved to reclaim her breast, the pad of his thumb gently running over the tips. Shifting his weight carefully, he took the other in his hand and massaged them before lightly pinching and kneading the hardened buds between his fingers.

"Inuyasha...." she groaned, her body writhing against him with need. From his position between her legs she could feel him hardening against her thigh. Reaching between them, she lightly stroked him through his jeans.

He let out a low hiss, flattening against her in response to the sensation. "You're..." he panted, his voice a low growl, "You're going to be the death of me."

Pressing a firm kiss against his lips, Kagome pulled back and smiled. "Maybe," her expression could only be described as wicked as she brought her hips up to grind against him, "but what a way to go."

* * *

"And where do the..." Kagome held up the two random kitchen utensils in her hands, "strainer and spatula go?"

"Strainer and spatula?" Sango repeated, setting a box down in her living room as she appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. She pointed at an unlabelled cardboard box that was already nearly bursting. "I guess try to cram it in there," she smiled guiltily, "if you can make it." She picked back up her box and moved out of the doorway.

Kagome eyed the box warily before setting her face in a look of pure determination. With some careful rearranging and some less-than-careful manhandling, the flaps of the box finally closed and packing tape was securely wrapped across the top. Surveying her success, Kagome smiled at the 4 boxes she had managed to wrangle her friend's relatively sparse kitchen into. Opening the fridge, Kagome grabbed the two cans of pop she had strategically left there for a packing break. She wandered out of the kitchen to search the box city that was once Sango's apartment for her friend.

She located her in the bedroom, folding up clothes. "Here." She offered Sango one of the cold drinks, "I think it's time for a break."

Sango used her arm to wipe a bit of sweat off her forehead. "Sure," she smiled gratefully and cracked open the tab on her drink. Both women wandered out of Sango's room to sit on the floor of the living room, the couch long gone and packed away into storage.

"So..." Kagome fished for a topic to put off talking about what she knew Sango wanted to talk about, "how much longer do you get to keep possession of your place?"

"Only until next week." Sango sighed tiredly, looking at all her belongings still scattered around. "I can't believe I'm leaving. I loved it here." She stroked the carpet affectionately, her hand pausing as she bit her lip, "Do you think I'm moving too fast? I mean, how long have I really known Miroku?"

Kagome shrugged. "You're not a reckless person Sango," she reassured her friend, a kind smile on her face. "You wouldn't be making this decision if you didn't believe in your heart that it was the right one."

Sango smiled, "I know, it's just cold feet I guess." She sighed and shook a hand through her pony tail. "When you've lived alone for as long as I have, giving it up seems intimidating."

"Think instead of what you're gaining." Kagome turned her gaze out of the window, "someone will be there when you come home to ask you how your day was, and listen to you when you complain, and take care of you when you get sick and..."

Kagome turned to look at Sango to see her friend staring at her with an amused expression. "I was rambling?" Kagome sighed, "of course I was. Well, I just think it's great that you're moving in with Miroku." Kagome spared her friend a sly glance, "besides, weren't you basically living at his place anyways? I'm surprised your neighbours didn't call the police to say you went missing."

Sango laughed. "Well, what can I say? He has a really comfy bed and a great view of downtown." Kagome laughed appreciatively at the joke before the two fell into a not quite comfortable silence.

"So, when can I expect to have to help you move into Inuyasha's?" Kagome almost sighed with relief when Sango finally brought up the elephant in the room.

Kagome shrugged and toyed with the carpet. "Probably not any time soon." She admitted, "I'm still getting used to living here. I don't think I'm really ready to move into his place. Things...aren't really that long term."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Well have you at least said 'I love you' yet?"

"No..." Kagome sighed, before remembering that she hadn't told anyone that she loved Inuyasha yet, "er...I mean No, because we aren't sure we love each other yet..."

"Oh Please, Kagome." Sango poked her friend across the carpet with her toe, "the two of you have been playing this game for waaay too long. Just jump him and get it over with."

Kagome grinned, "Done and Done."

Sango looked so surprised she almost spat out her pop. "Really?" At Kagome's answering nod, she smiled "well, congratulations. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Sango." Kagome took a sip of her pop. She was glad that Sango was being so accepting of her and Inuyasha's speedy reunion. She had been worried that Sango would be the type to hold grudges. When she tipped the can back down, she choked a bit at the intense look on her friend's face.

"You tell him," Sango glared, her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, "that if he ever hurts you again, he better be the one that gets on an airplane and gets the fuck out of here. He's going to need to run fast if he's going to get away before I kill him."

* * *

With practiced ease, Kagome tipped the pasta-filled hot water into the waiting strainer, enjoying the cloud of steam that bloomed from her sink. Shaking it twice to get all of the water out, she rested the strainer against the sink ledge as she filled the warm pot with all the ingredients needed to make her favourite pasta dish. Stirring the pasta in, Kagome turned her head away from the concoction to check the clock. It was official: Inuyasha was late.

He was late for their very first date, if you wanted to call it that. Not that Kagome was particularly fussed about his tardiness. She had taken extra care that night on her appearance, and her vanity had cost her the time she had been hoping to spend preparing dinner. Inuyasha was already overdue and she still had a salad to toss and wine to uncork.

Adjusting the stove down to a low heat, Kagome set the pasta down to remain warm and she picked up the bag of ceaser salad mix. Just as she had the bag opened, she heard the telltale rattle of her balcony door opening. Smiling to herself in amusement, and wondering if Inuyasha would ever learn to use the door, Kagome called up to him, "Inuyasha? I'm in the kitchen!"

She turned back to her salad and concentrated on shaking the leaves carefully out of the bag. When a piece of romaine made a dash for freedom, Kagome reached over absently to pick it up off the counter and put it in her mouth. Suddenly Inuyasha was at her side and Kagome jumped in surprise.

"Inuyasha!" She swatted him lightly on the arm, turning to face where he leaned against the counter at her side. "Honestly, how can you enter the house so noisily and then sneak around without a...sound..." she trailed off as she noticed he was not looking her in the eye. Moreover, he was very carefully keeping his hands behind his back.

"Inuyasha?" She asked, trying to reign in her curiosity and not peer behind his back.

She was rewarded when he slowly brought his hands forward to reveal a small bouquet of calla lilies, tied together by a neat yellow ribbon. "Here." He murmured gruffly, pushing the flowering towards her.

Her expression of surprise quickly transformed to a bright smile. Reaching out with both hands, she took the slim flowers from him. "For me?" She asked needlessly, yet still wanting the answer.

"Keh. Who else?" He snapped, then noticing her affronted look, he softly divulged. "I saw these and thought...well...of you and..."

Understanding his rapidly growing embarrassment, Kagome laid her hand on his arm to halt his speech. Stepping closer to him, and enjoying the way his arms reflexively went around her waist, Kagome reached up to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "I love them. Thank you."

Kagome smiled at him again and then turned away to try to find a vase for them. Opening the cupboard above the sink, Kagome selected a slim tube vase that had once held a small set of gerbera daisies she had selected for herself. After placing the lilies in the water, Kagome was doubtful she had ever seen such beautiful flowers in her life.

"Dinner is almost ready." Kagome told Inuyasha when she caught him guiltily trying to steal a bite of the pasta on the stove. "Can you transfer that pasta to a bowl? I'll get the salad ready." When she moved to brush past him, Inuyasha lightly gripped her arm. She halted in front of him and tipped her face up in confusion. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers softly. Smiling into the kiss, Kagome tilted her head to more fully accept his kiss.

When they sat down to enjoy their dinner together, Kagome was sure that they didn't need the candles because the pleased smile decorating her face could have lit the whole room.

* * *

Kagome halted to a stop in front of a particularly elaborate window display, enjoying the bright lights that twinkled therein. Inuyasha stood quietly at her side, and though he had loudly claimed to be bored multiple times, she had caught the way his eyes had lit up at each festive display. Her toes were feeling a bit numb from the late November cold but she persevered. There were only a few shops left that she knew already had their windows set up and she was determined to take Inuyasha to all of them while he was still up for the trip in town.

It had taken her ages to talk him into coming. Apparently he seldom visited the city except when absolutely necessary. He complained about the noise and the smell, but Kagome promised him a big bowl of ramen at her house if he came with her, so he had quickly agreed to her terms. Now he seemed to be dragging his steps as they reached the last few windows, as if to prolong their time outside.

The theme of this window was mirrors, and the vast array of them reflected both the Christmas lights of the display and the street lights into beautiful patterns on the walls. A tall white aluminum tree stood proudly in the center of the room, decked in white lights and disco ball ornaments. A series of long rectangular mirrors hung on the walls behind it and clear bulbs were hung from the ceiling to add a festive note.

As Kagome and Inuyasha moved along this window, he suddenly stopped in front of one of the mirrors, causing Kagome to bump into him slightly. Watching as his face become incredulous, Kagome turned to look at his reflection to see what was going on. Not finding anything amiss in his current appearance, she turned to ask him what was up.

He rounded on her first. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he shouted, looking upset.

"Tell you what?" she surveyed him again: same jeans as he had put on this morning, same leather jacket he always wore, no food on his face, silver hair was all in place, and both cute doggy ears were intact on his head. "Nothing is different."

"Nothing is different? My fucking hat is gone!" He looked around quickly, catching the eye of everyone staring. "And now everyone is staring at us!"

Kagome tried to remember the last she had seen of his hat. It had to have been over 3 hours ago, when they had stopped off at Kaede's shop for a bit of tea. Rolling her eyes, Kagome tugged him to face her. "People are staring because you are yelling." Realising she wasn't helping the situation by yelling too, she lowered her voice, "you haven't been wearing a hat for the past three hours and you're only noticing now. What does that tell you about how much people care about your ears?"

He looked at her in confusion. He patted his hatless head in thought as he looked around. The curious pedestrians had all passed by and, typical of most city dwellers, the sidewalk traffic was moving past them without even a cursorily glance.

"You...don't care?" He asked, his head tipped down as he glanced at her through his eyelashes.

To answer him, she took both sides of his face in her hands and brought his lips down to hers as she kissed him soundly in the middle of the street. "Nope," She responded when the kiss was over, "but if you're really upset, we can go back for your hat."

"Nah," He took her hand as they continued walking down the street hand-in-hand, "I have more at home."

"If you're sure..." Kagome shrugged casually, mentally swearing on her life that he would never feel like he needed that hat again.

* * *

Kagome stood silently, enjoying the luxurious weight of the thick crème sample wedding invitation that she held in her hand. She ran her fingers along the delicately patterned border and over the scalloped edges, listening carefully the sound of her fingertips against the grain of the expensive paper. Her reverie was broken when she realised that Sango was calling her name.

"...gome? Honestly, Kagome!" Her friend gave her an exasperated look. "If I knew you were so in to wedding invitations, I would have gotten you to pick them out."

Kagome flushed at her distraction. "Sorry Sango," she looked down at the beautiful invitation again, "I've always had a strange weakness for beautiful stationary. I think it's the one thing my mother managed to imprint into me."

Sango smiled and plucked the invitation from Kagome's hand. "Well, then I will trust your opinion," handing her a different, equally beautiful invitation, Sango queried, "on which of these you think is the best."

Kagome eyed the new invitation in her hand, then picked up the old one and compared them side by side. She was being honest when she thought they were both lovely, but she was leaning towards the one in her left hand. Problem was that she was pretty sure that Sango liked the one on the right and was hoping for her approval.

Deciding that what her friend wanted was most important, after all it was her wedding, Kagome smiled and told her "Definitely this one," handing Sango the invitation with her right hand, "it's elegant but still has a hint of personality."

Sango scoured the card again, looking for any defects or typos in the small message. Kagome had already proof-read it for her friend 100 times at least, so she was sure there were no errors to be found. Considering that neither bride or groom had much of a family to speak of, there were few words even on the invitation to begin with.

"What about the font?" Sango's voice was getting that hysterical note that appeared when she was getting a bit too detail-oriented. "Is the cursive text easy enough to read? Perhaps I should use a sans serif, just to make sure everything is clear? But is that tacky?"

"Sango," Kagome took the invitation from her friend's clenched hand, "the invitation is fine. I think you should chose that one and then let them print them off. You need to get these ready, the wedding is coming up quickly."

Sango nodded her head with a clenched jaw, so Kagome quickly handed the invitation to the printers assistant that was cowering close by. That item finally crossed off Sango's very orderly 'Wedding Checklist,' Kagome noticed there wasn't very much left to go.

She blinked in surprise when under Miroku's heading was: Taking Inuyasha to get a tuxedo fitting. Turning to Sango as she was putting on her coat to leave the printers, Kagome asked her about the note.

Sango smiled, "Miroku doesn't have many friends, and even fewer of them would he ever think of inviting to a wedding," Sango shrugged, "so I guess he thought it would be nice to make Inuyasha his groomsman. He has a friend that goes way back, Hachi, who will be acting as best man. His uncle Mushin will be there but...well...it's hard to say if he will be up for the walk down the aisle, let alone allowing him to hold on to the rings."

Kagome nodded in understanding, eyeing the rest of the list to see what else they could do today. "I noticed on here is picking out my dress." Kagome tipped the list towards her friend walking beside her on the sidewalk, "Were you wanting to help me pick it out?"

"No, no." Sango waved her hand dismissively, "I want you to be able to get a dress that you like and that you can use again."

"Oh, great!" Kagome grinned, "I had a dress I actually..."

"...but if you wouldn't mind," Sango continued as if she hadn't heard Kagome, "I had a few...suggestions I thought you might like."

Mentally Kagome's shoulders fell, but on the outside she kept a smile on her face. Sango was just being the control freak that Kagome knew she was, and that it was her wedding so Kagome should do what she wanted...but Kagome had really been hoping to knock Inuyasha's socks off with this dress. This was particularly important if he was going to be a groomsman, and therefore have to stare at her all ceremony. Stare at her without being able to touch her.

After a moment in her daydream, Kagome realised that she had fallen behind the bride-to-be. Hurrying to catch up to her friend, Kagome bumped and sidled her way to the crowd until she reached Sango, who was waiting in front of a very chic boutique.

Eying the classy, yet provocative cut of the dress on the front window mannequin, Kagome felt her hopes about the dress begin to rise. She was feeling even better about the dress when she heard Sango whisper "let's get you a dress that Inuyasha will never forget."

* * *

Inuyasha turned toward her as he hesitated on pushing open the front door to his home. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Kagome smirked and asked "Are you going to tell me that the place is a disaster? What else do you think I was expecting?"

"Keh. No faith in me." He grumbled teasingly before stepping aside to let her in first. When she stepped over the threshold, her jaw dropped in amazement.

The whole place was clean, to the point of being spotless even. "How...how is this possible?" Kagome span in a small circle, trying to find any stray sock or ramen container. She wandered absently into his bedroom, certain that if any mess were to be found it would be here.

"I told you I can take care of myself." Was his haughty response as he trailed into the room after her, looking awfully proud of himself.

Kagome turned to him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I know. It was just such a disaster before."

"Well..." As one hand wrapped around her waist to hold her against him, his other hand strayed up to rub the back of his neck, "I may have messed it up sometimes so you would have to stay later."

"What!" Kagome glared at him indignantly. She pushed him back and he fell away more out of surprise than the force. "you practically broke my back with work just to keep me here!" Turning quickly, she grabbed one of his pillows and lightly hit him with it. "You jerk!"

His eyes narrowed at her. "What did you call me?" He growl was a teasing threat and the corners of his mouth twitched as he leaned aggressively towards her.

"I said that you were a jerk!" Feeling playful, she swung at him again. This time he caught the projectile and yanked it out of her grasp.

"A jerk, huh?" His eyes flashed with a predatory glint and his mouth formed a sexy smirk that almost had her swooning. Realising at the last moment that he was planning some payback for the swat, Kagome let out a little shriek and ran past him into the livingroom, barely evading his reaching grasp.

First she tried staying on the opposite side of the coffee table, but when he snagged her cardigan sweater with his long reach she was forced to discard it. In her camisole and jeans she bolted through the kitchen, and in a moment of desperation after hearing Inuyasha's threat of using her most ticklish weak spots, she threw herself out his back door and into the ankle deep snow.

Halting in her spot in the sudden shock of the cold snow on her feet, she forgot about Inuyasha racing behind her. When he ran into her in the doorway, they went down into the snow in a tangle of limbs. Rolling for a moment, they came to a stop with Kagome sitting on Inuyasha's chest, both breathing hard and staring at each other from the abrupt end to the chase.

"Jesus Christ wench!" Inuyasha rested his hands easily on her thighs. "I knew you were crazy, but coming out here dressed like that? Shit. Let's get you inside."

He was obviously expecting her to get up and go inside. If there was one thing Kagome did not feel like doing at that moment, it was what he expected. Slowly reaching down, she picked up a small fistful of the cold snow. "Inuyasha..." she paused for a moment before tossing the snow in his face.

Getting up quickly she made a mad dash for the door but he caught her around the waist from behind before she could make it. He spun her around with her legs in the air as she shrieked with laughter.

Turning her towards him, he allowed her to wrap her freezing legs around his waist so she wouldn't have to keep her socked feet in the snow. "You really are crazy." He mumbled affectionately, jostling her a bit in her place where she rested against him.

Kagome threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "I suppose I am." She agreed happily, enjoying feel of his strong arms holding her against the warmth of his body, "but you love me anyways."

Tensing after realising what she said a moment too late, Kagome wondered for a fleeting instant what she could say to brush off her statement.

She was not expecting Inuyasha to bury his head in the side of her neck and breathe against her skin "yeah, I do."

"Really?" She whispered fearfully, not daring to try to look him in the eye but she couldn't help but clutch his shoulders tightly.

"Mm hmm." He mumbled, dragging his lips slightly across the exposed skin of her neck. She wasn't sure if she was shivering or trembling anymore.

"Oh, Inuyasha..." She gasped, pressing herself against him. She buried a hand in his hair to hold his head against her shoulder. She drew all her courage from deep inside her to confess, "I... love you too."

"Keh. I knew that already." She gave his a half-hearted smack for his apparent cockiness, though she could see the vulnerability swimming in his eyes. He pulled back from her shoulder to smile at her in a way that brought tears to her eyes. She had never seen him look so happy.

Pressing her lips to his, Kagome felt so elated in that moment she was glad Inuyasha had a vice grip around her waist, or she was sure she could have floated into the starlit sky.

* * *

When Inuyasha had suggested that a warm bath was just the thing to rid her of the chill of the snow, Kagome had readily agreed to that genius idea. She wasn't aware of what an amazing idea it was until she sank into the softly scented tub and then floated over to where Inuyasha lay reclined within the tub. Draping herself easily against his front, Kagome leaned her head back to rest against his shoulder.

"Bubble bath, Inuyasha?" Kagome teased, "If I didn't know better, I would have said you had this all planned out."

"What makes you think I didn't?" He asked in a low voice, the rumble in his chest making a delicious vibration in her back that Kagome had come to enjoy.

She laughed softly, "I never thought of you as much of a strategist." She paused for a moment in thought, "You haven't, by any chance, been talking to Miroku?"

He shifted uneasily beneath her, "No." He denied quickly, and then sighed and admitted "I never asked that lecher anything. He just...volunteered some ideas. Don't worry, I punched him for the more perverted ones."

Kagome laughed quietly and the fell into a comfortable silence. She let her hands swish in the water, enjoying the soft ripples it left. She was trying to relax and enjoy the hot water, but in truth she could only focus on the soft press of Inuyasha's fingertips on her stomach and their teasing dance on the skin of her sides.

"So, are you and Miroku friends?" She asked, brushing some of his hair that had fallen into her face out of the tub.

Inuyasha was silent for a moment as he considered the question. "Friends?" She could picture the small dent in his brow as he thought over the implications of having a friend. The thought alone was endearing and she pressed a small kiss to the underside of his jaw where she could reach. "I guess," he conceded with a slight lift of his shoulders that moved her head. "I just knew him because I had sold him the guitar and then he asked me where I played. Then one day after you came to my house, he just called me up out of the blue to ask me to meet up with him for a beer."

One of his hands came up to hold hers and set them together on her stomach. He rested his head lightly on hers and breathed in softly. "Never really occurred to me to ask why he suddenly wanted to get friendly." He paused for a moment as if debating what to say next. "You...didn't ask him to do it, did you?"

"Oh! No!" She responded quickly. "No, I don't even know how he got your phone number... it must have been when after I called you that...night you didn't show up to the bar. I called your house using his phone. After I gave it back to him, it would have had your number..."

"Oh, right." He seemed satisfied and the slight tension that had entered his shoulders left.

It returned when she asked her next question. "So, what happened to you that first night when I came to your house?" She slightly regretted asking when his whole body became stiff. Still, she pressed on. "Why did you look...like you did?"

"Um..." he stalled for a moment, his hesitance obvious. "Sometimes I...look like that..."

When no further answer was offered, Kagome couldn't help but feel stung. After all they had been through and he didn't trust her with whatever this was? She moved to draw away from him in the water but his arms tightened quickly around her to catch her.

"It's hard to explain." He answered in a rush. His arms did not relax their hold on her as he continued, "on nights like that night, my demon side becomes dormant and I am completely fucking human."

"And that's...bad?" Kagome pressed further, not fully understanding.

"Why, would you prefer it?" He asked quickly, his voice defensive. He moved as if to push her away, so Kagome settled her weight more solidly against him to hold him in place.

"No." She answered definitively, "There's just more to being half demon than I suppose I understood. I thought it was just kind of like being superhuman, but there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Seeming to grasp that she was just trying to understand him better, Inuyasha laid his head back down on top of hers and answered simply, "Yes." He let out a gusty sigh that moved Kagome along with his chest, "On my human night, it feels like, I don't know, suddenly always wearing sunglasses and have fucking cotton shoved in your ears. Can't hear anything, can't smell anything. Trust me, it fucking sucks."

"I see." Kagome murmured, mulling his answer over as she splashed her toes lightly in the water.

"You mentioned that your demon side referred to me as 'yours'" Kagome reminded, and she almost felt ashamed as she asked the next question, "did that ever...has that ever happened before?" She had carefully reworded her question before she asked what she actually wanted to know: 'Did that ever happen with Kikyou?'

"No," He answered slowly, "which is probably why it bothered me so much. My bastard of a half brother was not very helpful in teaching me about all this demon stuff so I wasn't expecting it."

"What does it mean?" Kagome asked casually, then figured out this was not a very casual question when all of Inuyasha's muscles tightened again.

When there was only silence for a few moments, Kagome decided she had pried enough for this bath time. "It's alright, Inuyasha," she conceded as she tried to ignore her curiosity that was chomping at the bit, "you can tell me when you're ready."

She felt all his tension drain away again as he drew her body tightly against hers, the water sloshing out from between them. "Thank you, " he murmured softly into her hair.

Allowing her neck to go lax so her head rested fully against him, Kagome decided liked talking to him when they were laying like this, when she could feel his reactions to what she said. Though on land he was often more difficult to decipher than hieroglyphs, here in the water, when she was this close to him like this, it was like his whole heart was laid before her read.


End file.
